Winter Mémoires
by EmboldenRose
Summary: -REQUEST- Saved by the most unlikely of allies and upon joining the once notorious clan of assassins & thieves, Luna must endure the burden of the clan's expectations.
1. First Impression

**Winter Memories  
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><p><em><strong>A<strong>**/N:**_**_ This is a REQUESTED fic for ROSE53289. She has only 2 OCs here out of a possible 6 that she's created; one main (Luna Dupont) & one major (Lisa Liang)._  
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**Disclaimer: Luna & Lisa belong to **ROSE53289, and the rest belongs to 'NetherRealm Studios.' ****

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><p><strong>Chapter 1<strong>

"You're reckless little one."

I gritted my teeth angrily at that vexing remark. The bother that laced his grating tone was plain enough to push every last trace of what remaining poise I had left down the drain – for it was truly obvious that he wished as badly as the Netherrealm for the session to end now.

There was also no doubt that he yearned for a new trainee; one who'd show more enthusiasm to learn, one who'd hold greater promises of talent that would prove most beneficial to the clan, one who'd act more like a prodigy than a simpleton. Oh yes, there was no doubt about that alright.

But would I give him the stinking satisfaction of giving up so easily? No, of course not! I knew that I shouldn't. And I wouldn't!

My ribs ached painfully, drawing my attention back to reality. It was probably the sixth time Smoke had managed to knock me off my feet. All in less than twenty minutes. And he never even gave me time to recover properly before launching another combo assault on me.

It was madness! I shouldn't be treated like that. I was still a novice for the Gods' sakes! Not his equal! Would it hurt to show a little subtlety?

Probably yes.

But though, I had to admit, that thought didn't seem too bad. Him treating me like his equal. Not too bad actually. In a way, it actually made me feel slightly stronger than what I'd usually give myself credit for – that, at some point, maybe I might be able to take him on like a real fighter.

I huffed at the thought. Crazy, but one can still hope right?

But then again, maybe, just maybe that was what Smoke secretly hoping for me. Perhaps, he did want to give me the impression that I wasn't a total loser like I always thought I was. Maybe, maybe there _was _some deep hidden spark that was still lying, temporarily quenched within me, waiting for the right moment to be ignited by the right person.

A horrid choking sound slashed at the silence of the room, and I instantly shot my hands to my throat. All of a sudden, it felt like my windpipe had been clogged, harshly cutting the air flow to my lungs.

I quickly rolled onto my left side, wanting a clearer view of my attacker.

Closer now, I noted bitterly that the Lin Kuei still retained that annoying pompous pose of his; burly arms across the wide expanse of his chest, masked visage held up high, sharp grey eyes thinning to threatening slits, following me closely as I struggled for breath.

Damn annoying.

But I knew that he wouldn't kill me. Obviously, or else what would've been the point of him taking me under his wing? He'd usually carry this 'punishment' on me whenever I'd do something wrong. In this case, it was simply me lacking attention.

Like always, the choky feeling would end momentarily. Following that, I would slowly count in my head; 'three, two, one...' and then, a huge gasp would burst out of my throat, allowing me the liberty to swallow down huge gulps of air. That sweet treasured element that everyone takes for granted.

And then finally, I would drag my legs up into a sitting position, slowly eyeing my master up and down with seething aggravation, waiting for an endless tirade to blast in my direction.

And yet like always, I would wait in vain. For the Lin Kuei would only stare back at me calmly. Cock a dubious eyebrow. And then decide whether to call the session off or not...

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><p>Not it was. Muscles aching, I gingerly slipped out of my training garb and into my nightdress, all the while with me grumbling under my breath at another typical disappointing day. And to make matters worse, I will now have to wake up at least an hour earlier every day for training.<p>

I wasn't necessarily grumpy at the way I fared today or the other days before that. I was more irritated at the fact that Smoke wasn't giving me a chance to prove myself to him. Till this day, I still wonder if mentoring is new to him. But then again, maybe that's just me.

Kneeling on my bed, I gazed out of the window at the snow covered courtyard. I've always loved that scene. And now, showered upon with moonlight sparks, the area looked especially exquisite, almost as if a scene from a fantasy story has been brought to reality.

I could see the training dummies in the centre, all caked in snow like smooth icings. The variety of weapons that rested at their bases, every single one of them blanketed with soft sprinkles of sparkling snow. I'm not sure why but the very sight of them would usually cause a peaceful stir within me. The same of course, couldn't be said for when the first time I set foot there. I felt a smile grace my lips at the memory.

Enough now. If I am to please my master tomorrow, I'll need a goodnight's sleep. There's no telling what he could do next...

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><p>Block. Parry. Dodge. Punch. Duck. Kick. Kick. Kick. KICK!<p>

"J-Just hold still, will you?" I cried nervously, attempting another kick at Smoke's right shoulder as he ducked. I might be crazy but I swear I could see his eyes crease with mirth. You could easily tell that he wasn't feeling as irritated as he usually did.

Frowning, I aimed a fist to his chest but he stepped backwards, avoiding it. Striding forwards and quickly side stepping away from the punch aimed to my head, I quickly directed a hook kick to his back, willing it to connect this time.

But as expected, Smoke spun and easily grabbed my foot with his right hand. And instead of showing disdain, his eyes only sparked with approval, as if silently applauding my efforts.

Confused, I just stood there, straining to hold a straight posture as I waited.

"Is that it?" I asked, not able to take it anymore. As soon as I said that, a flash of grey slashed across my vision and I yelped with surprise. But reflexes instantly made me duck a swift arm swipe and I quickly tried twisting my leg free from Smoke's grip.

"And this leads to the next part of the training."

My head snapped up when he said that. "W-Wait," I said uncertainly. "You mean I passed?"

Smoke nodded. "Yes. You kept your focus intact. You didn't let your mind sway like before. In order to progress, you must always maintain your concentration. You saw the difference that it made today. Your responses to my attacks flared greater than before. Although, you almost lost it at the last minute but you quickly recovered. And hopefully, it will remain that way as we move on," he paused. "Unless, of course you want to start over again. Perfect your skills before we progress?"

I almost said no but then thought better of it. "It might probably be better if I started over. I don't know, I might end up worse later. The way you said it made it seem as if I've just scraped it. I don't think it's going to do much good to me, especially since the next stage is going to be harder."

Smoke looked thoughtful. "Well, you do seem quite acceptant of your flaws which I failed to witness in any of my other students who came before you. And correct me if I'm wrong but you do seem quite motivated now. Better than before, so there is a possibility that you might not going to just 'scrape' it next time. This is only the first stage remember? There are still lots more to go through. And right now, you seem – well actually, I believe you have what it takes to progress onto the next stage. What do you think?"

Though I paid attention to everything he just said, all of a sudden I started to feel... dazed. That was by far, the best compliment I've ever received from him. He has always been strict, stern – and now I also know – a great sifu. And all this time I thought he wanted a new student. Silly me. I should've thou-

I squeaked when I felt two broad fingers tweak my nose. Bringing a hand up to rub it, I heard Smoke say, "You're daydreaming again."

Stifling a giggle very unsuccessfully, I replied in a cheery voice. "I wasn't. Well, not _really. _I was just shocked when you praised me. I wasn't expecting that from you so I just became... well _happy_."

"Oh," Smoke said, but didn't sound surprised. "Well, let's see if it'll last. Who knows? Maybe that's the only 'praise' you'll ever hear from me."

"I don't care. You've done it and I'm satisfied," I grinned.

Smoke cocked an eyebrow, "You do realise that you still haven't answered my question Luna."

I slapped my forehead. "Sorry, I forgot," then in a much brighter tone, "Yes please!"

Smoke nodded approvingly. "Good. Tomorrow then?"

"Yes!" I replied.

"Away with you now," he joked and let go of my leg which I somehow forgot about. Giggling, I reached for his hand and gave it an affectionate squeeze before jogging out of the training room, back to my quarters, filling fuller than I ever remembered in the past few months.

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><p><strong><em><span>AN: Abrupt? =/ Probably. And I'm very sorry. And no, Smoke is not her love interest. XD I didn't write much about Luna yet, but I will later. Right now, this is more like an 'opening.' (Yeah I'm pathetic XD) Credits to **_ROSE53289_**!_  
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	2. A Little About Me

**Winter Memories**

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><p><strong>AN: Yay she liked it! Also, a big heartfelt THANK YOU to _'DolceDesiderio_' & _'MortalKombatProdigy99_!' You ROCK!  
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**Disclaimer: Luna & Lisa belong to **_**ROSE53289, **_**whereas the rest belong to **_**Netherrealm Studios**_**.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 2<br>**

_Five weeks later._

Casually strolling along the grand corridors, pausing briefly here and there to smile politely at some familiar faces, I slowly made my way back to my quarters. I neither made an attempt to mask the triumphant smile that slyly conquered my expression nor did I try to control the level of anticipation and pride that started bubbling wildly inside of me.

This has been once again, another satisfying end to another typical successful day. So content was I, _so _content. No longer was I the reckless, clumsy, withdrawn type, but a stronger, faster and more able a fighter type. Neither a prodigy nor a simpleton – but a humble young apprentice of the highly regarded, well respected, well known, much sought after, Smoke of the powerful ancient Lin Kuei clan. _Fearsome!_

There's not much to say about me. Except the fact that I was forced into the clan against my will. Now I'm sure that you'll think that that's harsh. And you're absolutely right, it was, but that's not the point! ...ok maybe it is, but who am I kidding? This clan's like family to me now. It's not like I've forgotten about my real family. It's just that I've been through so much here that I finally came to terms with this place. It's really not _that _bad once you get to know it... or rather, once you're _part_ of it.

The Lin Kuei – as you know it – is famed for its dark history, and though changed for the better now, some of the systems still work very strangely. Like for example – the consequence for leaving the clan is death. And as barbaric as it sounds like, it's true... or rather, it _was_ the case back then. If one wants to leave the clan now, that person would have to fight for his or her 'right' to do so. And it would be done so literally_. _In a tournament. Against the grandmaster himself. Barbaric still? Well, you would be grateful if you were in my shoes!

So you've guessed right. My goal is to leave the Lin Kuei and return home. Back to my family. Oh Elder Gods, if you can hear my plea, help me achieve that goal! I long to go home. I long to see my loved ones again! I don't care whether some of them were mean to me, I just want to go home!

So how did I end up in this little predicament? Well that's a long story so I'll _try_ my very best to be as brief as I can for your sake.

It all started with my boyfriend, Bob the dimwit.

We went out together one night. Like most ordinary couples, we had a pleasant time together. We went to a cinema, dined in a lovely Chinese restaurant, shared some intimate moments together. It was great. Everything seemed promising. Of course, that was until the oaf cheated on me. Surprise surprise. I just so happened to witness the horror of my life (which I believed so during that time) the moment I stepped out of the bathroom, still inside the restaurant. He was still at our table, but locked up in a passionate yet revolting embrace with a pretty young Japanese woman. Sickened as I was, I did the only thing any sane person would've done.

I dumped him. Or rather, I just ran out of the old building into the dark deserted streets and kept on going until my legs eventually got tired and screamed for me to stop. It was then that I realised that I was completely alone. That there was absolutely no one left to help me anymore. But now I realise –

Just how _absurd _I was to think of such thing!

But alas, rational thinking was completely out of the way then. And without any means of transport, I had no choice but to wander through the cold dark eerie streets of the city. Of course, that didn't wait long until I had unpleasant companies surrounding me. And though I feared and feared of the _one thing _planted in their heads, I was quite stupefied to know that they didn't intend to harm me that way.

In the dark of the night, it was quite hard to see what they looked like exactly. But I was still able distinguish that they were all males and... fighters? They did seem to position themselves in battle stances after all. And they also seemed to be clad in red gears so my guess was that they belonged to an organisation. Nonetheless, at first glance I already knew that they weren't the friendly types.

True enough, they all started spitting venom at me in a language unknown to me. It didn't sound Chinese or any other languages that I knew of. It just sounded alien and very menacing. Yet I was still able to pick out some repetitions in their sentences.

And '_Kira'_ was the most frequently used.

They all seemed to use that word – or name – over and over again for some reason. One, they either mistook me for a person they knew (and despised) of, or two, it was simply a death threat. Whatever it was, they obviously wanted to hurt or capture me. And I was too frightened to do anything else except just stand there.

That was, until an unnatural heat that I've never before experienced in my life, threatened to engulf me and then the next thing I knew, all of my would-be-attackers laid dead on the ground before me. Before I could do as much as batter an eyelash, a – what I believed – powerful backhand blow was connected to the back of my neck and I immediately blacked out.

Next thing I knew, I was nestled in a large comfy bed within a brightly lit room. Blue was the first thing that welcomed me. Everything was just blue, almost like as if I was in a sea life aquarium. Seconds later, a man entered the room, along with two more behind him. It was none other than Sub Zero himself, grandmaster of the Lin Kuei. I instantly put on a palpable display of contempt towards him. Knowing about his clan's history and his own overshadowed life as an assassin, I instantly had a strong sense of foreboding. I didn't like the man at all.

He started questioning me about the group; if I knew who they were, why they surrounded me, what they said to me, etc. Having concluded that I had no choice, I decided to play along, answering all his questions as truthfully as I could and making sure not to leave or miss out on anything important. He seemed to believe me. Coming to the 'Kira' part however, his expression swiftly changed, and when I asked, he only said that Kira was a member of the _Black Dragon_ clan, and that apparently, I was mistaken for her, and the group that attacked me was of the _Red Dragon _clan.

So I'm guessing Kira was also in her twenties and had red hair and green eyes like me. Figures.

But then I asked Sub Zero about the 'beating' I took back in the streets and he only responded that I wouldn't have 'cooperated' if that didn't happen. It sounded inhumane, but it made sense. I thought I could leave the place then, go back home and forget about all that's happened but he only seemed reluctant. When pressed, he finally said that if the Red Dragon clan members wanted to attack me, it only made sense that they would try doing so again.

I was shocked by that. Just what did he care? He was only a dark assassin, feared throughout the realms and all of a sudden he seemed to... _care_? That was beyond suspicious. When pressed again, he only responded with a curt question, 'Do you want your loved ones to be caught in the mess too?' and that instantly shut me up.

Of course I didn't want that to happen... how selfish I was to not even think for a minute about it. Everything made sense then. I couldn't go back without getting my family in trouble. So what was I supposed to do?

And as if reading my mind, Sub Zero had finally said it. He _finally_ said that if I wanted to see my family again, I would have to be trained and toughened up in the arts of combat. And doing so would make me a member of the clan. Thus leading to the rule that if I, a Lin Kuei, wanted to leave the clan, I will have to challenge Sub Zero himself in a tournament. If won, I'd be granted my freedom, if not, then it's obviously not going to happen.

To this day, I still wonder... why did he care? Why didn't he just let me leave? I wasn't his problem, so why did he act like he wanted to help me? Me, living in the clan could only mean trouble for the Lin Kuei. Why would he go through such a risk? But then I realise, the more I think about it, the more it made sense. He just wanted his clan to grow.

Twisting the cool doorknob open, I paused before entering. Somehow I got the feeling that I wasn't going to be alone in the room. Eh, I shrugged and stepped into the room.

"'Evening Lisa," I greeted the raven haired girl who sat in a chair next to my window.

"'Evening," Lisa smiled at me. "You seem in very high spirits today as well."

I grinned. "I know. I feel like I could take on a whole legion of Shokans at once."

The mixed race woman only smiled shyly at me. Lisa Liang... Sweet, gentle, shy, Lisa Liang, a complete opposite to her older brother, Kuai Liang. Unlike me, she had decided to join the clan at a tender age of her own free will. Determined to seek out the truth about her broken family, her 'quest' had eventually leaded her to only one of her loved siblings. Overwhelmed by gratitude, Sub Zero had instantly taken her under his wing and moulded her into one of his finest warriors.

The moment I stepped into this place, Lisa was my only shoulder to lean on. She had selflessly assisted me in any way she could, guided me throughout the different places of the grand temple, helped me settle with more ease, explained to me how the systems worked, got me out of trouble whenever I landed myself into a verbal assault against some of the meanest members here, and even allowed me to use her as a punching bag – metaphorically – whenever I wanted to vent out my frustrations over something. She was definitely one in a million.

"Luna, I know you sometimes say that you want your trainings to be a little lengthier," Lisa began hesitantly. "and I was thinking... I could be your sparring partner if you want. If I'm free that is. I might also be able to teach you a few tricks or so while we're at it."

My eyes widened. "You came all the way here just to tell me that?"

The younger woman started shuffling her feet uncomfortably. "It's up to you. If you don't want to, that's fine. I was only offering aft – _oh!"_

I instantly had my arms around her neck before she finished the sentence. "Of course I'll accept your offer silly!"

Releasing her and stepping back a few paces, I realised with mirth that she appeared quite flustered for a moment or two before she broke into a fit of giggles.

"I'm glad. But could we rest up during the weekends? It's not always good to push our bodies to the limit. Even my brother needs long breaks from time to time."

I shrugged and smiled. "Sure. I don't see why we couldn't."

"Great," Lisa said brightly. "We could start next week. It's Saturday tomorrow."

"Fine," I replied with equal glee, "I haven't been this happy in a long time. I owe you a lot Lisa. I really do."

The woman only blushed slightly at the comment before standing up. "Have you had something to eat yet?"

As if in response, my stomach rumbled slightly.

"It's a no I guess," Lisa said and nudged me out of the room. "Come on. Let's see what's on the menu."

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><p><strong>AN: ...cuz I felt the need for an intro... **

**-Wa-Wa-Waaaa-**

****_Credits to ROSE53289!  
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	3. A Chat

**Winter Memoirés**

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><p><strong><em>AN_: I really can't shake off the feeling that I've made Sub Zero a little OOC here. Gah! You're failing me again brain! **

**(Loved all reviews for the previous chaps. Thank you all!)  
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**Disclaimer: **Luna & Lisa belong to **_ROSE53289_, whilst the rest belong to 'NetherRealm Studios.' ****  
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><p><strong>Chapter 3<strong>

A little over four months have passed since that new 'training program' with Lisa had begun.

I realised now, the more I sparred with her, the more confident and determined I grew. I know this might sound a little goofy but Lisa has this certain something in her that makes me eager to give it all I got. It could simply be the very air around her, or the simple fact that I could easily relate to her more than anyone else here.

With my original Sifu, I somehow felt a little restricted to go forward. But now, with my newly gained confidence with Lisa, even Smoke is fast becoming impressed with my progress and is continually praising me now like it's second nature to him.

Just a little push was all I needed now until I was surely ready to challenge Sub Zero in that tournament of his. Though relatively calm about it, the very thought of doing so never failed to make my stomach twist and churn with butterflies.

What if I failed to defeat him? Shall I then have to stay within the clan forever? Will I not be given a second chance?

That last question somehow got me back on track again. There's no way that I'm willing to take that risk. I'll just _have _to get it right the first time! I'll just _have _to win if I am to be granted my freedom for I had absolutely no intention of living in this place for the rest of my life!

A flat snowflake brushed past my nose and I drew my head back a bit, slightly startled by its piercing chill. It's only been five minutes or so since Lisa had left my side. It was always like this. After our night spars, we would always sit on the bench north of the courtyard and chat a little amiably. We could go back inside, but the unnatural chilliness of this place was rather soothing and inviting to me – reasons unknown, it just was.

Wrapped up warmly in my borrowed coat, I gazed meditatively at the swishing trees – fine cascades of snow from the branches somewhat added more sparks to the dull palace structure.

A good ten minutes have passed till I felt the presence of a certain someone in the background. Sitting up straight, I turned my head to the left.

Even though I couldn't see the person in the dark properly, it was quite easy to tell who it was simply by his large silhouette.

Though the ancient snow covered Sakura tree stood majestically the way it had always did, the figure in front of it – for some reason – overawed it. I'm not sure why but it just seemed that way to me. To others, maybe not, but to me, definitely. And judging by his posture, it appeared that he was in deep thought.

That's odd. I cocked my head slightly. Normally at this time, the grandmaster doesn't venture out of the temple. Why ever the sudden change?

Some more minutes ticked away as I continued to stare at the lone figure just a few metres ahead of me. Then I decided to join him. It quite appeared like he needed some company. But then again, maybe that was just me. Maybe he just wanted to be on his own. Perhaps he simply chose this time specifically to have some quiet reflective time to himself.

...

Perhaps indeed. But I was still going to him. A little speck of my psyche – the _mildly_ mischievous one – wanted to 'ruin' that opportunity for him. I wasn't devious or cruel in any manner. It's just that whenever I looked at him – or sometimes anyway – I've always felt a particular spot within me... seethe. It's not that I disliked or disrespected him. It's just that after some quiet reflection times of my own, I... _quite_ came to conclude that I was rather helpless to compress some amount of reproachful feelings towards the grandmaster. He was, after all, the main reason for my 'captivity' here. And because of this childish flaw, I _quite_ wanted to 'hit back' at him in some way or another.

And so it was not long before I found myself standing right beside him a couple of footstep crunches later.

I was right. He was in deep thought, but of course, that didn't mean that he hadn't sensed my presence. He was _the_ Sub Zero after all. It would take a meteoroid worth of effort to successfully sneak upon him.

Actually scratch that, that'd still not be enough.

The icy breeze that stabbed my face mercilessly moments ago neither seemed arctic nor merciless at the moment, thanks to the massive tree that shielded us. Turning to face the leader, I bowed courteously to him.

"Grandmaster Sub Zero," I greeted softly.

Hands behind his back, Sub Zero tilted his head in my direction. "Luna," he returned the gesture.

"You're up quite late grandmaster," I said and allowed a small smile to appear. "I wasn't expecting you here."

He gave a small nod and turned to face the Sakura tree again. "I wasn't expecting you here either."

"I'm usually up at this time after I've practiced a bit with Lisa."

Again, a small nod and an approving grunt.

A few minutes of silence followed then. Crossing my arms over my stomach, I focused on the object that had the master's attention so successfully. Though massive and old, the tree didn't look anything special that would make it stand out from the rest. So why was he so interested in it?

Was it due to its faint shield against the cold bitter air? The little candles around it? The blissful smell? The sundry colours? The classic size? The oriental lanterns hanging from some of the branches? The barely discernible characters etched upon its trunk? The-

I squinted my eyes. Characters? Oh yes, there they were. Hmm, nice Chinese calligraphy.

I wonder.

Could that be a name?

I made a small thoughtful sound. Could that possibly be the reason for Sub Zero to be here? Did that mean anything to him?

Guilt instantly clouded my senses. I've just intruded on something personal of his! I shouldn't have come here.

As I was about to apologise to him, Sub Zero suddenly pointed a frozen finger at the characters and said rather plainly, "My brother's."

My breath hitched slightly in my throat. Why the hell was I still here? "Sub Zero, I'm really sorry," I started blurting out.

"Hm?" Sub Zero turned to look at me, eyebrows furrowing slightly.

I bowed my head in shame. "I'm not supposed to be here."

"Why is that?" he asked, obviously confused.

I looked at him again. _Surely, he can't be serious! _"This is something personal to you! I'm not meant to be here."

A short pause.

"It's quite alright Luna," the grandmaster finally said.

I remained unconvinced. "You were alone with it for god knows how long before I intruded!"

Another pause.

Then a sigh. "Perhaps," he admitted softly before tilting his head at the tree again. "But company is still good."

I felt my spirits elate a little at those words. "But you can still leave if you want to," he continued.

I hesitated. "You sure you don't mind, grandmaster?"

"Positive," he replied.

I smiled at him. Sub zero... one minute I'm annoyed with him then next thing I knew, I was at the verge of swooning over his composure and altruism. He was really a gentleman at heart. From day one of my stay here, I've always thought him to be odd – leader of a clan of ruthless warriors kind of odd – And despite my displays of contempt towards him in those first few weeks, I've never once seen him lose his temper with me. He's always seemed to brush them off and act as if everything was normal. Yet somehow, I still wonder...

But then obviously, as time progressed, I eventually saw sense in my situation and decided not to 'fight' anymore. Nothing good was to be gained. All I could do now was concentrate on my training and become stronger. Home was my main priority.

Though I've heard some pretty dark stories about the Lin Kuei, living in the clan for a while now – I'm guessing eight months? – I've seen everything in quite a different light. Yes, there were still some meanies here and there, but that's what makes a place pretty much 'normal' right? No one's as _cruel_ as in the past though, and that's what matters. And it's all thanks to this... _new _Sub Zero.

I realise now that I should've got my facts straight before I started being judgemental about this place but hey, first impression's everything right?

"Your brother," I began after that lengthy pause. "He's Noob Saibot, isn't he?"

Sub Zero made a soft grunt and nodded. "Bi-Han."

"Ah," I grimaced slightly. This really must be a sensitive topic to him.

"He was quite an artist," I said, nodding at the carved name – hoping to dispel some of the gloomy air.

It worked! I think. Sub Zero's sharp blue eyes creased – with warmth or God forbid, grief – and sighed. "I was the one who did it."

"Oh," I paused – then grinned. "Well, you're quite the artist then."

Sub Zero turned in my direction again, and I realised that his eyes were really _smiling _this time – this time? Surely he was smiling bef- ah never mind.

"I carved his name here as a child," he said. "Calligraphy was my best hobby then. We were playing. Him climbing the tree, me sitting at its base, both of us hurling snowballs at each other," he paused when I started giggling.

"Oh sorry! It's just that I can't imagine you as a child!" I said, still laughing, "But what I _can_ visualise though, is a chibified grandmaster scurrying around, shooting projectiles of snowballs at a much taller one."

And _another _pause! This is somehow getting a little out of han-

I yelped suddenly, jumping back a couple of paces and bringing my hands up to my face in defence. Ok this is weird, but I really felt the ground below me _wobble. _And as Smoke had always said to me, _trust your instincts!_

And he would've been so proud of me if he was here!

"Reflexes. I like that," the ever dignified grandmaster spoke again.

I brought a hand up to the back of my head and scratched feebly, laughing nervously at the same time. "I guess I deserved that."

"All I did was make the snow shake a bit," Sub Zero said, tilting his head a fraction.

"And all I did was trust my instincts a bit," I replied innocently, also tilting my head a fraction with him.

Sub Zero shook his head and chuckled. "Cheeky girl."

"Woman," I corrected him.

He raised a hand, palm facing downwards and swayed it sideways. Who knew that Sub Zero actually had it in him?

"Onto the story then?" I asked, changing the subject.

"Onto the story then," Sub Zero agreed. Hey, at least he's a little happy now!

I approached cautiously. The older man noticed. "Relax. It was just a joke."

"You could do it again."

"One was enough."

I mouthed 'ok' at him and took my place besides him again. "You know, you should bring a bench here one day."

He stared at me. "Do you want to sit down?"

"No no, I just think that if you're gonna come here often, you'll need to feel comfortable when paying your respects."

He stared at me for a few more seconds. "I think you want to sit down."

"Yes, I do want to sit down," I admitted. "And I'm sure you do too."

He shrugged slightly before leading me back to the bench I was sitting on before.

Once we were sat down, finally comfortable, he resumed. "There's not much else to say really. I wasn't scatterbrained to begin with but being the child I was, I was quite showy of the skills I had. I was originally going to carve my name out on the tree but then I thought, let me carve Bi-Han's instead."

"And he was very impressed by it," I – hopefully – finished for him.

"That he was," he smiled at me and my heart warmed up. "But then things turned nasty as you already know. And eventually, I forgot about all the good times I shared with my kin. Treating him as the enemy he was, we turned our backs on each other and followed through our own paths.

I thought that was it then. That I had no one. That I was the only one who remained in the family..." He paused slightly and then smiled warmly. "But then Lisa came along and I felt like I was reborn again," he paused again and I knew that he was going through some emotional process at the moment. So I waited patiently.

But I did reach out a hand to rest upon his gently, smiling softly at him. Sub Zero gazed down at the small hand before meeting my gaze serenely.

_Wow, _was probably the most decent word to describe the moment. I had always been aware of how striking the grandmaster's eyes were, but now at this proximity – I just realised how _gorgeous _they were! I never thought I'd say this but it felt like I was being absorbed by them. They were just so deep, warm and mellow that I almost forgot about my own existance with him.

He gently wriggled his hand out from underneath mine and patted my hand softly before continuing. "Words simply cannot describe just how _grateful _I was when that day came. When she came into my life again. When I was given this... _second_ _chance_. I made a vow to myself then; protect her with my life no matter what."

It was moments like this that make me realise just how _human _Sub Zero can be – that, he too can express some feelings just like everyone else, in his own aloof way of course. Yet somehow, I still wonder...

"Keen a learner as she was, I was able to mould her into a fine warrior with ease," he continued, cool hand rested atop my knuckles now. "She helped me gain some of my humanity back and I started to feel like a real man again. And it was due to her that I felt influenced to pay respects to my lost kin. She saw the name on the tree. I told her briefly what I told you and she began visiting it. And it was not long before I followed suit," he looked down upon our joined hands again. "She still comes here in her own time, just as much as I come here in mine. But I usually choose night times when it's easier to think."

"Is that carved name the only remnant of Bi-Han's memory you have left?"

"Yes."

Another moment of silence followed before I hesitantly broke it. "Grandmaster?"

"Yes?"

"Why exactly did you make me join the clan?"

Sub Zero didn't say anything for a while as he took the time to think.

And then he sighed softly. "Of course you would want to know," he muttered, almost to himself. "I didn't merely take you in for the 'sake' of your family. As I'm sure you have already guessed, I wanted my clan to grow. The more trusty warriors I had, the better," he paused to look at me again, his expression unreadable. "Or that's what I thought anyway. Now, I feel that I've a change of heart. Thinking about my broken family somehow made me see sense. 'Sense' that I must help you reunite with your own family – one that is not yet broken..."

"So is that... is that almost like a personal thing to you then?" I asked quietly.

A look – I'm guessing conflict – flashed in his eyes. "Perhaps..."

I sighed. "So that's why you didn't just let me leave huh?"

He gulped slightly. "Me, being the grandmaster of this clan, Luna... I have to display an air of absolute power and authority. In other words, I mustn't allow my emotions to get the best of me or display any other kinds of weaknesses. Responsible for changing the ways of the Lin Kuei, I must ensure that history doesn't repeat itself. And in order to do that – to strengthen my men's faiths in me – I... _preserved _some of the clan's harsh systems," his gaze lowered slightly. "I would've let you go if I could. I myself am not taking satisfaction in this situation either Luna."

I bit my lips uncertainly. "But you did alter some of the systems though, didn't you?"

Sub Zero nodded. "The penalty for leaving the clan, yes. But that was as far as I could go."

I nodded, still confused by my sudden mix of emotions. "So to top it all off, you're torn between wanting to help me leave the clan because you realise just how important family is and keeping your men's faiths strong."

"Yes."

I rubbed my forehead slightly. "At least I know you're not using me."

"Using y-?" Sub Zero started, but then sighed heavily. "Forgive me Luna. This has indeed _not _been easy for the both of us."

"I know..." though I didn't really. "I just... I just miss my family so much."

"I know Luna. I know," Sub Zero said gently, forehead creasing slightly.

"But I suppose... I might be partly to blame too..."

"How so?" he asked, frowning now.

I smirked bitterly. "If I hadn't reacted so ridiculously – _childishly –_ I wouldn't have found myself in this mess."

Sub Zero tilted his head questioningly.

"When I saw my boyfriend cheat on me in that restaurant, I shouldn't have run off like that. Knowing he was my only ticket home, I could've acted as if everything was normal, allow him to drive me back. He had the key after all and I... I couldn't drive," I laughed humourlessly. "If I did that, then maybe... just... maybe..."

I gulped heavily. I couldn't finish.

"Though insensitive as it may sound like," Sub Zero said softly. "You've learned your lesson, haven't you? An ill-fated incident yes – but one that is most likely not to happen again."

I pinched the bridge of my nose hard, willing myself to calm down before I responded.

"You..." I glared at him. "You should become a psychiatrist!"

"And put up with whiny brats every day?" he scoffed half heartedly. "No thank you."

I made an exaggerated gasp. "Are you saying that I'm bratty?"

"Yes." he replied instantly.

"Well you're... you're..." I wriggled my fingers at him, searching for the right words to hit back but was proving too difficult.

"Yes?" Sub Zero turned his whole body to face me, eyes creasing with marvellous amusement.

"You're just a great big... softy?" I pretty much squeaked that last word out and quickly felt my face grow hot when he began to laugh, the sound surprisingly music to my ears.

"So I'm weak, is that what you're saying?" he asked, definitely amused.

"No," I muttered. "Just too nice for your own good sometimes."

"Really now?" his eyebrows furrowed closely together.

I shook my head and grinned back at him. And no, I wasn't lying. He can definitely prove to be a lot softer than Smoke sometimes.

"I hear your training is going exceptionally well," Sub Zero said suddenly.

I immediately blushed. "Y-Yes. Quite so I believe."

"Quite so?"

I clasped my hands together, suddenly nervous. "I don't think I'll feel this confident when it'll come to... challenging you though..."

Sub Zero stared at me for a few seconds. "You shouldn't worry too much about that yet Luna. I have already prepared some rules for contestants of your level."

"My level?" I stared wide eyed at him. "There were more like me?"

Sub Zero shook his head. "No, you're actually the first. Others who fought me before were already skilled martial artists; their trainings began at very young ages so I fought them as I would a normal fighter of my rank. But with you, I've decided to set some new rules. Meaning, I won't use any of my special powers or weapons on you. It'll just be hand to hand combat."

I let out the breath I was unaware of holding in. "You are amazing grandmaster. Thank you."

"It only seemed fair," he said simply.

"Thank you still grandmaster," I pressed anyway.

Sub Zero sighed softly. "You're welcome Luna."

More silence ensued.

"I suppose I should get going now," I said suddenly, standing up.

"Of course," Sub Zero said, lifting his gaze to mine once more.

I stood there for a moment or two before I leant forwards and laid a cold hand upon his rigid right arm. "I'm really grateful for the talk we had tonight grandmaster. It benefited me in a lot of ways you couldn't guess." I smiled softly at him. "I can now see you and the whole of the Lin Kuei in a completely different light and I feel a lot comfortable now. Thank you, grandmaster."

Sub Zero stared at me for a good while before shutting his eyes briefly. Lifting a large callous hand to rest upon mine gently, I heard him speak softly. "You _must _defeat me Luna. I will not make it easy for you but you _must_ find a way to defeat me."

I raised my other hand to clutch his tightly. "I'll do my best."

And that was my personal vow.

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><p><strong>AN: OH EM GEE what a mess! **

******_Credits to ROSE53289! (not for the mess!)  
><em>******


	4. Pessimism

**Winter Mémoires**

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><p><em><strong>AN**_**: Happy belated birthday Rose! I'm so sorry for taking this long! **

**Disclaimer: ****Luna, Lisa & Mamiko belong to **_**ROSE53289**_** whilst the rest belong to **_**NetherRealm Studios**_**.**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 4<strong>

Ever since I had this chat with the grandmaster, I usually found myself returning to that place again. That sweet little conserved area at the back of the temple that meant so dearly to him. For some reason, it felt like as though I should do my part to respect the 'fallen' _man_ – I did rudely intrude upon Sub Zero's precious moment after all so it was almost like a little act of redemption for me.

I was careful not to bump into him during my 'visits'. Knowing how this meant a great deal to him, I chose only mornings to come here. It was quite nice I thought. Though I didn't feel the same connection as one would with his deceased brother, I'd usually experience a sense of spirituality that would lightly stir within me. Soft, sweet and mellow, the unusual peace and stillness of the place would enfold round my consciousness warmly and cause my heart to warm up slightly. The moment would feel rather enchanting.

Ever since Sub Zero had 'debriefed' me that night, I developed a fresh new respect for him. He was sincere, sympathetic and encouraging – a real gentleman. And the more I thought about it, the guiltier I would feel, for I would never forget how I used to shout or retort at him during those first weeks. I always wondered if the dignified leader held a bit of grudge against me. It was rather disheartening really but alas, what's done was done. I couldn't do anything about it except move on.

It was a fine Saturday evening. Bright, white and cold – good old Arctica. I was leaning against the side of my window, gaze fixed upon the courtyard. The young trainees were out again, training with their sifus. It was easy to tell how dedicated these lots were. Though this might sound a little selfish, I sometimes found myself wondering why – _why _exactly were they dedicated for anyway? I know _I_ had a good reason for doing so since I was fighting for my 'freedom', but what about them? What were they trying to prove anyway? Why didn't they just choose a much simpler life than this?

Since it was the weekend, I didn't train with Lisa or Smoke. And I was grateful for that. I didn't want to, as Lisa would say, "push my body to the limit" to the point where I may start developing _anorexia athletica_, which was a potentially life-threatening condition in which the person no longer enjoyed exercising –in my case, training –, but felt obligated to do so. Honestly, I thought I was starting to feel that way. I was rarely satisfied with my achievements and if I did feel them, they were fleeting for I did not want to savour them; I would rather push on to the next challenge immediately. Terrible I know, but now I'm hoping to beat down that feeling.

I turned away from the window. I felt like going outside. I wasn't sure where my friend was but I was quite certain that she wasn't training either. She was probably in her quarters – or with her dear brother. The thought of the two siblings together was sweet to me. Made me think about my own sisters really. All twelve of them. Though we never really got along well – I'm guessing they must've been suffering from the _middle child syndrome _since I was the youngest– I never realised how much I'd miss them. Gosh. I didn't even think I'd ever mind being teased again just so long as I got to see them again. It might sound a bit cliché but I quite think that I've been taking them for granted – when really it should've been the other way round (ok, that's selfish thinking). Hell, I didn't even bother wondering whether they were missing me or not. I just wanted to see them all again!

That's it. Once back home, I was going to have a talk with my parents. No matter how much they cherished us with love and attention, it was plain to see who they cherished the most. I didn't want my sisters to hate me. Elder Gods, please let them not feel glad that I was away. I didn't want our bonds to worsen, to break. I didn't want them to think me as a stranger. I didn't want them to feel relieved to finally be rid of the one always in the spotlight... I didn't want that at all.

All the more reason for me to get stronger.

I walked out of my room and made my way along the grand corridors. The dining hall was where I was heading. Though I wasn't feeling particularly hungry, I still fancied a light snack to munch on.

Once I reached my destination, I paused at the entrance, not deciding to enter the massive room yet. At one of the stretched tables at the far right area of the hall stood two beings; Smoke and Lisa. They were talking. Well, Smoke doing most of the talk. Two or three minutes later, he straightened his posture and tapped Lisa on the left cheek lightly with his right index finger, followed by a soft giggle from the female.

"To go in or not to go in," I contemplated. I didn't want to disturb them. They were the only ones in the dining hall. Since everyone else was out training, the master must've chosen this time specifically to speak to Lisa. Not the best place for primacy, I mused. But then again, maybe it was not that important and I _could_ go in. I'd obviously not make my way to them; I'd sit at one of the tables and eat quietly like I was supposed to instead.

And so I stepped inside the grand hall, the beating of my heart picking up slight pace as the two figures loomed in sight. As I headed left however, I suddenly flinched. Lisa called my name. Fixing a masked grin upon my face, I walked towards the pair – feeling surprisingly nervous. "Good evening Lisa," I greeted her before turning towards Smoke and dipping my head lightly. "Master Smoke."

Smoke returned the gesture smartly. "Good evening Luna. How are you?"

"Why, I'm fine thank you, Master," I replied. "And you?"

He nodded his head in reply instead. I turned to Lisa and caught her smile. Why did it feel like I was intruding again? "Did you want something of me?" I asked her.

Her expression changed. "Oh. I thought you wouldn't have minded us being together. I'm sorry if-"

"No no, sorry it's my fault for not asking properly," I hastily interrupted. "I'm not intruding on anything, am I?"

"Of course not. I wouldn't have called you then, would I?"

"No, of course you wouldn't," I agreed – not quite. Lisa was an unusual soul. No matter how serious a situation can be, once she sees a friend who seemed like an 'outcast' from the group, she'd try desperately to make them join it, regardless of whether they might've wanted it or not, for I believe that she always assumed that they did.

"I'll be off now," said Smoke.

Lisa looked at him, smiling brightly. "We'll see you later Master Smoke."

"Yeah, later Master," I added.

Smoke left the hall and we stood still in the wide open space. A few minutes later, some Lin Kuei youngsters entered the hall. Boys and girls alike, all ranging from what I believed, ages 8 to 13. Young and fresh faced, these children deserved better than this. But of course, who was I to argue? They were probably happy to be here. Perhaps I was the one thinking nonsense.

"Come, let's sit," Lisa said, giving me a light tap on the arm.

We sat at the table in front of us. The children were on the left side of the room so we had this space for ourselves. Joy.

"You're unusually quiet, Luna," my friend said. "Whatever is the matter?"

"Nothing's the matter," I replied. "I just have a lot on my mind."

"Sharing some of them with me might help lighten the load a bit."

I nibbled the edge of a rice noodle roll on my plate. "I suppose I could," I finally said. "A couple of nights ago, after one of our sparring matches, I went to join the Grandmaster when he was standing near that Sakura tree; you know, the one that means a lot to the both of you."

"Oh, well that's nice," Lisa said.

"Well, ever since that night, I realised then that not a day would pass without me feeling quite guilty. Guilt, because one, I felt that I've been disrespectful to him, and two, when I went to join him, I wasn't in a very saintly mood."

"What do you mean by that?"

I let out a frustrated sigh. "I hold a great deal of grudge against him ok? I thought I got over it but I haven't. Every time I see your brother, I literally _cringe _in anger and annoyance."

The briefest of pauses, and then, "No one blames you for feeling that way."

I turned on Lisa sharply. "I just spoke dirt about your brother. How could you just say that?"

She shrugged. "He has a lot of faults. And now with your case, Kuai really believes that he has let you and himself down. He thought that he was going to do a greater good for the clan but as you can see, he hasn't. And one thing's for sure," she let out a soft breath. "My brother's living with that guilt every single day and night so you can guess how tough it is for him. I'm not saying that you should feel sorry for him. He has after all, _shattered _the route between you and your family."

I was silent.

"I love my brother," Lisa continued. "In fact, I love him like I would my own parents, but that doesn't mean that I should always take his side. He was wrong, and after helping him understand that, Kuai now lives with an enormous amount of shame and loss. And these won't leave him until he has set things right, namely, after helping you out of this place."

Shame bubbled wildly inside of me, like incessant bubbling magma inside a volcano. Though I developed that new respect for him, now that I replayed the memorable talk we had that night, the tornado of shame and dishonour struck me hard with its fullest of blows.

"No one blames you for feeling that way," Lisa repeated. "Come Monday, we'll continue to work on new tactics on how to defeat opponents quicker. All you have to do is remain dedicated in your training and we'll do all we can to help you. And before you even know it, you might be out of here in no time," she suddenly beamed at me.

I grimaced, but nodded nonetheless. "True. Very true." What else was I to say? Everything she said made sense. No one blamed me for my pessimist thoughts, she claimed. Oh sweet goodness.

"Thanks Lisa," I returned her smile. "There's no use crying over spilt milk after all."

"There we go," she replied.

"I haven't given the slightest of thought that the grandmaster could be suffering too. If that was months ago, I would've felt satisfied, victorious even. But now, I feel upset. I hadn't a clue that this would've hit him hard..." I paused, going over my muddled thoughts. "I remember him mentioning that it was the family impact that changed his way of thinking. He was truthful...," I should make it up to the poor guy.

"I'll say it again; no one blames you. You're very much the victim here – and we pity you. We want to help you."

"And I'm forever grateful," I replied, reaching out to squeeze Lisa's hand. "You're a true friend Lisa. Thank you."

She shrugged again. "It's _us, _not just me you know."

We heard the clatter of plates followed by small feet pattering along the wooden floors. The children were making their way out of the hall, no doubt going back to their quarters. Dinner done, we decided to head outside. There was a garden at the back of the temple. It was grand, rich and beautiful. In the middle were a stream, frozen of course, and a wonderfully carved bridge that crossed over it. On its left stood two Sakura trees which certainly added to the breathtaking effect.

"I like to come here sometimes," Lisa said as she crossed her arms over the wooden barrier. I stood with my back against it. "For a peace of mind or out of boredom."

"Nice," I said. She chose well. "So why are you here now? Boredom?"

"A bit of both."

The breeze was frostier now that it was nearing night time. "Smoke is a nice fellow," Lisa said suddenly.

"Of course he is," I said, unsure whether the statement was directed at me.

"How's training with him like?" she asked.

"Very good; he's a great teacher. I learned many things from him."

"What about now?"

"I'm still learning from him; he's wonderful."

"Hm," she grunted, either satisfied with my response or thinking about what to say next.

I smiled. Does Lisa have a crush on the man? I recalled the two of them in the hall earlier. I decided not to prod the subject further unless she wanted to say something else about it.

"Back inside," she spoke again. "How long were you standing _there_ for?"

"Not long," I said. So she realised that as well, eh, "I entered the moment you began to giggle."

She laughed and then asked, "Why?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure. Maybe it was because you lowered the 'tension' a bit."

"Tension? You mean to say that you were feeling a bit left out?"

"Not really. It was mostly out of respect that I decided to wait a little longer before I entered."

"I see," she said and then paused. "You know Luna, every time you see me around, in a group or whatever, you're always welcome to join in. Since it's already quite hard for you to adapt properly here, I don't want you feeling even more discomfited around those who are your friends."

"Thanks," I said, smiling. "You too."

"Deal," she said and smiled too.

We stayed here for most of the evening. It was lovely. Lisa was good companionship and the area was quite deserted. She also mentioned that Sub Zero sometimes came here too. I thought that it'd be nice if he joined us now, which could also be a good opportunity for me to see whether I still held some grudge against him. Right now, I didn't feel any. The reason could be simply because of Lisa, especially after she's knocked some more sense into me. That said, maybe that wouldn't really be a good opportunity after all. But I doubt that I will ever feel that way towards him again. He was simply such a _gentleman_.

We returned to the palace at night. In bed, I decided that I would definitely make it up to the grandmaster somehow. I could prepare him something nice. Cake perhaps? A card? Quite cliché, I thought. How does one apologise to a leader? A few formal words followed by a humble bow? Sensible thing to do yes but seemed rather hollow to me.

As I was going through random thoughts and ideas, I suddenly felt a gentle nudge on my left arm (I was laying on my right side). I realised then that I must've dozed off and as I opened my eyes, it was pitch black in both, the room and outside; it was probably late night or early morning. Turning over my back, I took in the long black hair and heart shaped face of Mamiko, Sub Zero's most trusted adviser. I quickly sat up and smoothed out my hair at the front in a sweep motion.

"Ma'am," I greeted, a little dazed from my sudden waking up.

"Luna, the grandmaster wants to see you," Mamiko said.

I pushed the blanket from my body. "I'll have to change," I said. "This might take a while."

Mamiko shook her head. "I'm sure he won't mind. Just put on a robe and please come with me."

After I've selected a decent red robe to put over my nightie, I followed Mamiko out of the room, along the corridors, up a few stairs, along some more corridors, up a few more stairs, until we finally made it to the grandmaster's quarters. The door was shut.

"He is the only one inside," Mamiko said. "I was only sent to lead you here."

I nodded and said my thanks to her before watching her leave my side. For Sub Zero to have summoned me at this time must definitely be important. I wonder what it might be about. I couldn't deny the little flutters of nervousness that jumbled in my stomach as I slowly reached out a trembling hand to twist open the door handle. I just hoped that he wouldn't blame me for anything...

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><p><strong><em>AN_: I think the ending was again, quite rushed - and I apologise! I'm sorry! Hopefully the next chapter will be better. **

**ROSE, please PM me if you think that I've done something wrong! **

**Peace everyone!  
><strong>


	5. Mission

**Winter Mémoires**

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><p><em><strong>AN: **_**Short chapter. This week's been hell for me. Oh well. Deadly Alliance! :D **_**  
><strong>_

**Disclaimer:** Luna, Lisa & Mamiko belong to **_**ROSE53289**_** whilst the rest belong to **_**NetherRealm Studios**_**.**  
><strong>

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><p><strong>Chapter 5<br>**

Once inside the room and shutting the door behind me, I stood quietly with my back to it, waiting. A little ahead of me sat the ornately carved desk of the grandmaster with the owner seated sophisticatedly behind it. Piled up in front of him – I realised with amusement – were heaps and heaps of paperwork and folders waiting to be tended to and stored away. Poor Sub Zero. He was always this busy, even at this time of day. Now, seeing me at the door, the grandmaster raised a hand and motioned for me to sit in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Grandmaster Sub Zero," I greeted politely, walking across the room and sitting down cautiously. Raising my eyes to meet his, I realised that there were no traces of anger or annoyance in them. Why did I think that he'd be angry with me again?

"Luna," Sub Zero started, leaning forward a bit. "How is your training going?"

I blinked, surprised by the suddenness. "It's as progressive as ever sir."

"Of course it is, but do you feel ready to challenge me yet?"

I swallowed. "I-I don't think I'm that ready yet sir."

Though honest as I was, I couldn't help but feel a little down by the questions. Maybe I wasn't pushing myself hard enough. Did he think that I was slacking? Or was it the _guilt _that was somehow making him feel that he should be granting my freedom quicker? And as if sensing my discomfort, Sub Zero spoke again. "It's alright Luna. There is still plenty of time for you to decide," his tone now grew serious. "I will go straight to the point. Have you any knowledge about the _Deadly Alliance_?"

Something clicked in my head when he said that. Now that he mentioned it, something did seem out of place in the palace. Recalling the hushed tones and urgent whispers of some Lin Kuei youngsters as they passed me, now that I thought about it, they were discussing about the deadly alliance. It's been like that for a couple of days now so I'm guessing that it was a recent matter. And a serious one by the looks of things. So again, I answered honestly. "No sir, I don't know anything about it."

Sub Zero swiftly moved on to the next question. "Do you know anything about the sorcerers Shang Tsung and Quan Chi?"

"Yes," I answered immediately – who wouldn't know about these crétins? Then something else clicked in. "Did they form some kind of alliance that perhaps earned them that title?"

Sub Zero nodded his head, seemingly keen to move on now. "Yes, apparently Quan Chi believed that forging an alliance with the sorcerer and uniting his knowledge of sorcery with his own, he would succeed in reanimating the mummified army of the Dragon King – now do you have any knowledge about that?"

I shook my head slightly, trying to clear my mind from all the sudden information. "About the Dragon King you mean?"

The grandmaster nodded. "Yes."

"But… I thought he was a myth." I shook my head again. "Impossible."

Sub Zero seemed unconcerned by my horror as he simply moved on. "It has also come to my attention that the deadly alliance has killed the champion warrior Liu Kang."

A gasp escaped my throat. "No!" _Impossible!_ This new alliance was indeed that dreadful!

"Impossible," I said aloud again – but of course I believed it. I didn't think anyone would've been able to stand up against _two _notorious barbarians. It was this bad. I met Sub Zero's eyes again. Why was he telling me all of this? I decided to ask him.

"Why are you telling me this, grandmaster?" I asked. Surely Lisa would've filled me up with this information at a more sensible time of day. Obviously, there was more to it.

And predictably, Sub Zero ignored my question and he moved on to explain, "A couple of days ago, the Thunder God Raiden came to the palace to inform me about the creation of the alliance and the death of Liu Kang. Desperate to rid the realm of the new threat, he decided to select only a handful of warriors to aid him in the destruction of the deadly alliance_._"

There was a brief pause before I asked. "And… you're one of them?"

The grandmaster nodded. "Yes."

"So," I continued. "Was that the reason why you wanted to know if I was ready to challenge you?"

"Yes."

_Damn._ What was I to do now? Without him in the clan meant that I'll have no grandmaster to fight against for my freedom. This _mission_ – it sounded suicidal to me. How long will it be till he return? …that is in fact, _if, _he _did_ return.

"And what of Master Smoke?" I asked.

"Oh he was among the selected ones too," Sub Zero said. "But I would rather him remain in the clan. I do not want the palace to be left unguarded."

There was another pause as I mulled over that information. Was it possible that Sub Zero might have already decided to nominate Smoke as the next grandmaster if in case he... somehow didn't make it out alive? Though it made slight sense to me, I still thought that there was more to it as to why he had summoned me here at so late at night.

"How long will it be till you return?" I asked him.

Predictably, he didn't answer the question immediately. Instead he continued to stare at me, eyes revealing nothing. But of course, a few moments later, the noble leader brought his arms up to rest upon the desk and he strained his neck a little forwards to look me in the eyes, as if he wasn't doing that already.

"The reason why I requested for your presence here, Luna," Sub Zero said, "is because I've given thought that maybe it'd be a good idea if you came along too."

I remained still. Frowned. Grimaced. Reached up and dug out invisible wax from my ears. Replayed... and huffed at the words he just said. Did I really hear well? Did he really want me to come along with his small band of heroes on such a fate-deciding mission? Here, now, at this hour of darkness?

Or was the stress taking its toll on the poor man?

So I did what was required of me.

I laughed. "Now why would you want me to do that?" I asked, trying not to believe this 'folly'.

Sub Zero sighed. "For assistance – on my part. To attain perspective and enlightenment through the experience of a real battle – on your part," he said simply.

I shook my head. "But why _me_?"

"Because you're a promising student."

"But I've never bee- I don't-"

"Luna," Sub Zero interrupted calmly. "Just consider this as a boost to your training."

I clenched my fists. "But you know that I'll only get in the way." Not waiting for his reply, I added quickly. "Heck, I might even die on you before we even start the mission."

As soon as I said that, I instantly wished that I hadn't. For the next thing that happened made my spines tingle with fear. Sub Zero's expression slowly darkened and his eyes hardened. Oh great, now you've done it! I also realised that his fingers twitched slightly as he said in a low (and dangerous) tone, "I beg your pardon?"

I shifted uncomfortably in my chair. "Nothing sir," I said nervously. Geez, I never knew that he can actually be this fearful if he wanted to. Just four words and a simple motion already had me trembling with fear and wishing that the ground quickly swallowed me whole.

Sub Zero's expression remained dark and his voice lowered. "Are you sure? Because I'm quite certain that you've uttered something extremely stupid."

I shook my head dumbly. "No sir, I apologise." I'll definitely need to watch my tongue next time. I shouldn't just say things like that out of liberty. This was _the_ notorious clan of the Lin Kuei_; _lair of the most deadly fighters in the realm.

Sub Zero leant back in his chair slightly and resumed. "We are instructed to meet Raiden on Shang Tsung's old island fortress, which is located in the _Lost Sea_. Once there, he will debrief us all about the mission and then explain in detail about the dire situation that faced not only Outworld, but Earthrealm as well," his eyes studied me over the rim of his deep cobalt mask. "In the meantime, you will make sure to remain close to me throughout the journey. Irresponsibility will not be tolerated."

"Yes sir," I said meekly.

"Good," he said, nodding. "There is also one other thing that you must be aware of."

"What is it sir?"

"Frost will be coming too."

At that, I felt as if someone has smashed a huge ice block in my face. Why, of course that little she-devil will be tagging along too. Especially with her being the prized student of the grandmaster and all. Sharing the same gift as him and continually blooming into a more valuable asset every day. Yes, of course he would want her to come along! In her case, I believe Sub Zero wanted her to gain experience from a real battle too, but also along the reason that he hoped that one day, she would become powerful enough to take his place as grandmaster. The rat. Of all the people…!

And so it was with great strain and self-control that I said through gritted teeth to hide my absolute discontent and disdain. "Why, that's – just – wonderful." I could've sworn that my eyebrows twitched as I uttered each word.

Sub Zero cocked an eyebrow slightly but then nodded his head again. "Good. I am sure that you will both benefit from one another."

_Ahahaha, good one, _was what I should've said to him then.

* * *

><p><strong><em>AN_: I'm quite enjoying writing this fic. :)**

**Oh yeah, Smoke doesn't become a cyborg in here. **

********_Credits to ROSE53289_******! (Drat, I didn't add that in the last chapter.)  
><strong>


	6. Departure

**Winter Mémoires**

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><p><strong>AN****: Haaaay everyone. Hehehe uh about before... I uh, uh forgot my password... t-t-that's why um... e-hee-hee... sorry to all my friends. It won't happen again! I promise. **

**Disclaimer: ****Luna & Lisa belong to **_**ROSE53289**_**, whilst the rest belong to **_**NetherRealm Studios**_**.**

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><p><strong>Chapter 6<strong>

_Frost_. The name itself was enough to make me cringe.

I didn't hate her. Not really. But I didn't like her either. Because whenever I was around her, I'd virtually lose myself; her mere presence could be enough to drive anyone to the point of insanity. The filth that could come out of her mouth, the haughty air that always seemed to surround her, those ignorant looks she could throw at others, the blames she could slickly craft for poor little you, these were all despicable aspects that could drive any sane person to the brink of lunacy. Yet somehow, I didn't hate her.

But again, that didn't mean that I liked her. There were still some times though, when I may be on the verge of, dare I say it, _admiring_ her. 'Why' you ask? Well, just for one little reason. I admire her daring spirit; the way she would never give up and how lightly she would brush off pains inflicted upon her. So despite her distasteful nature, she can be pretty inspiring if one could look deep enough. Shame no one would do that though.

There was also no denying that being around her was maddening enough. She's rude, annoying and too full of herself – yet also strong, cunning and promising to the clan.

Jealous much? Oui. But enough to put me down? Not really. And that was because I had only this one goal to accomplish here and that one goal was to beat the grandmaster. Oh dear, now that I mentioned it, maybe Frost could put me down after all.

As you all know, the woman's been a fighter for as long as anyone could remember, and we all believed that she's gifted - and it was not necessarily due to her inherited cyromancer's skills, but as a prodigy fighter. And if she hasn't been able to defeat the grandmaster yet, I didn't think there was much hope for me now, was there?

Even though I didn't like her, there was still this tiny, _tiny _part of my mind that somewhat wanted her to be my friend. Just imagine, the tips and tricks she could share with me, the support she could offer me. How swift my freedom from this place could be. But alas, it was a fool's hope.

And now, it was off we go on a suicidal mission together like the heroic trio we weren't. It all happened so sudden but I tried not to think too much about it. Just think ahead I tell myself. I was required to go on this mission and so I will. I won't complain.

I also continually reminded myself of Sub Zero's words, _"... Just consider this as a boost to your training."_ And would you believe it, it works wonders. As long as it was a boost to my training. A boost to my training... _A boost to my training._..

Although I didn't believe this mission could end well, at least there was some comfort held for me in those words. That there might be some hope left after all.

But that didn't stop the tears prickling the corners of my eyes as I stared ahead, arms limp by my side as Lisa gave me the tightest of hugs I've ever received. She was crying and blubbering about how she would miss me, that I should take care of myself, and even going through quick lesson recaps of the past eight or nine (probably more) months. I forced a smile to appear and tried reassuring her that there was nothing for her to be worried about but she would hear none of it. To her, I was being led to my doom. To me, well, sure I didn't like the idea of death, but with that one aim planted in my head along with those 'encouraging' words, I didn't really feel too frightened to be honest.

I returned the hug and as I was going through my thoughts to come up with some better things to say to my distressed friend, Smoke appeared in my bedroom's doorway, and I immediately ducked my head.

I didn't want him to see my pained expression. I didn't want him to think that all his hard work was going down the drain. He did his best to toughen me up so surely he must've been expecting to see some sort of dignity on my first official mission with the grandmaster. That my head would be held up high and I would depart from the palace with enough pride and dignity.

"Luna?" Lisa asked and I felt her let go of me. She took a step back to look at me and then at the doorway.

"Oh hello Master Smoke," she said, sounding a bit surprised.

Smoke gave her a quick nod and returned his attention to me, my gaze was still downcast and I didn't trust myself to speak. "May I have a word with you Luna?" he asked.

I gave a reluctant nod.

Smoke turned to Lisa but she was already walking towards him. "I'll leave you two alone," she said and then left the room, but not before shutting the door quietly behind her, and I didn't have the willpower to curse her for it. She was just trying to be helpful.

"Are you alright?" Smoke asked me.

I quickly cleared my throat and blinked rapidly, hoping to get rid of any stray tears. "Yes," I replied.

I could see the frown forming and my heart sank. Obviously he could see the fear and anxiety in my expression. I clenched my fists around my backpack tighter.

"It's an honour to be chosen," I heard him say and I nodded. "And it's ok to be afraid."

I tried smirking in a sarcastic manner, to show him that he was wrong and I was not afraid, but found myself growling in frustration and turning my head to face the opposite direction instead. There, now I've done it. No doubt Frost's been bragging about what she'd do once she got her hands on the filthy sorcerers instead of moping pathetically like me.

Yes. Yes, I was terrified. I didn't know of what fate was in store for me. I didn't want to die with the millions of wrongs I've left behind, knowing that I wouldn't be able to go back and set things right. I wasn't afraid of death but I still hated the thought of dying slowly and painfully, and then having my mutilated corpse cast aside like a piece of waste. The thought of my poor family waiting in vain for their little treasure to return home was heartbreaking, even though they might've already lost hope that I was still whole and well, still trying to find a way back to them.

I was afraid. S_o _very afraid. My body was shaking and my eyes were prickling with hot tears again. Oh why did it come to this? If only I didn't run away from that restaurant...

Strong hands were placed upon my shoulders and my gaze was met with Smoke's soft grey stare.

"I'm scared," I said wretchedly.

"I know you are," he said gently. "Anyone in your place would be."

"But not Frost. She's been anticipating this moment to come. She was always going on about it. She is so fearless."

"Is that so?"

I nodded, feeling more miserable.

"Here is a word of advice Luna," Smoke said. "Pay no heed to Frost. Degrading her peers had always been her specialty and expect her to try bringing you down at some points during the mission," he placed a palm against the side of my head. "But _you_ on the other hand, should always keep your head held high. Remain close to the grandmaster as often as possible and constantly remind yourself of the mission, for that is more important than being 'degraded' by a peer who is no different than yourself."

I was quiet as I took everything in, knowing that his words always rang true and disregarding them would be highly unwise. And he wasn't finished. Like Lisa, Smoke made sure to summarise everything he had taught me during the short period of time I had spent under his guidance. After that, he again reminded me of what Frost could be capable of. But it was all about her handiness this time. Obviously as teammates now, there was no doubt that we'd put aside whatever differences we may have had before and work together to successfully complete this mission, right?

When Smoke was finished, I smiled gratefully. "Yes sir. I will," I said, and then I did the unexpected, which I'm sure most of you could guess what. I was so overwhelmed by his support that I had to throw my arms around his torso and embrace him there. I didn't know whether I'd make it out alive or not so I didn't think it would hurt to be a little informal for once (could even be the last).

I realised that I was such a dopey to fill my head with such nonsense. Of course everything he said was right. It wasn't Frost that I should be worried about, but the mission and - would you believe it - saving the realms.

I quickly withdrew from the hug and felt my face grow hot, yet forced myself to say, "Was that all you wanted to tell me Master?"

Smoke chuckled and ruffled my crimson hair. "That's all I wanted to get across to you."

I felt a genuine smile taking its place upon my lips for the first time in what felt like a very long time. "Thank you. I needed that."

"I know," he said, and then his expression seemed to sadden a bit. Before I was able to ask, he spoke again. "Sub Zero and Frost must be waiting for you outside. You should go meet them now."

I released a small sigh. "Yes. And thank you for your guidance Master." I said and gave him a humble bow. The Lin Kuei returned the deep bow before walking across the room to open the door for me, his eyes smiling at me, and it was hard to not compare him with a true gentleman.

* * *

><p>Outside the palace. Lisa was hugging me fiercely again in plain view of everyone who has gathered around to bid us farewells. There were children, teenagers, adults and elderly alike, all clad in their classic Lin Kuei attires, the expressions on their faces (or eyes even seeing that some of them were wearing masks) seemed to range from sober to sad.<p>

Releasing me now from this very long embrace, it was now Sub Zero's turn to be hugged – _aww_ – as Lisa closed the gap between him and her by running into his already open arms, which automatically wrapped around her slim frame. I couldn't help but smirk when I heard some of the females in the crowd _ooh _soundly. I had to admit, it was an awfully cute sight.

There weren't anyone else except Lisa who came to me. During my stay here, she was probably the only one whom I had befriended, since I wasn't particularly interested in getting to know any other members in the clan. Come to think of it now, it wasn't such a bad decision. It meant that I wouldn't have a lot to miss when I'd be away. Lessen the emotional pain, right?

I wasn't the only one. A little to my right, behind the grandmaster stood lonely Frost. And I didn't mean lonely-pitying Frost. Unlike me though, no one came to her personally as a friend. But judging by her posture, she didn't seem bothered at all. In fact, she only seemed bored and more impatient to leave the Lin Kuei grounds than the rest of us. She didn't make it seem like we were departing on an ill-fated mission at all.

The crowd was now backing away at a respectful distance when Sub Zero – after Lisa had come to join my side again – stood tall and important-looking as he began our departing speech.

It was well rehearsed, of course. Smooth, powerful and incredibly inspiring as the once sad and sober expressions on the listeners' faces (or eyes, mustn't forget the eyes) were now changed into ones of determination and readiness as they all seemed willing to meet their leader's expectations. And at the mention of Smoke now being in charge of the Lin Kuei, there were at first murmurs of approvals and then all of a sudden, cheering everywhere. It was obvious that everyone believed that Smoke was the finest warrior to take the title of _grandmaster_.

The Enenra warrior, looking mildly surprised – which was pretty amusing – bowed humbly to Sub Zero, followed by more cheers, before catching our eyes again. I grinned and gave him two thumbs ups whilst Lisa looked like she was about to cry again.

And then, everything was done. It was time for us to depart. Sub Zero beckoned me to his side whereas Frost, unsurprisingly, was already heading towards the gate. Already keen on adventure this one.

I glanced over my shoulder at the crowd one last time and waved at them. The moment I did that, the whole clan responded to me with fresh cheers and applauds, making my heart swell with renewed happiness. I grinned when I saw Smoke wink at me and Lisa waving at me, tears spilling down her face like tap water. If I were to never return to the Lin Kuei ag— hey, _hey, hey, _NO! That was no way to think!

Ugh, must be positive, must be positive, must be positive— _boost to my training. Boost to my train –_

Sub Zero laid a cool hand on my shoulder. I looked up at him. The moment I met his eyes, a sudden understanding coursed through me. I remembered now.

He promised to protect me. All I needed to do was remain by his side as often as possible, and not get into any unnecessary trouble.

My gaze hit Frost's distancing figure... and I thought;

"The further, the better."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: ****Sorry for the vagueness.  
><strong>

**I watched '**_**Legend of the Guardians' **_**with my fam this weekend and by god it was epic! I mean, sweet cheese, those owls were like ninjas! Like real PROPER ninjas. They had blades and helmets and swords and claws and kunais and shotguns! Daaaaaaag- **

**Oh yeah, and TRON LEGACY. *siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiighs* **_**Daft Punk**_**... *.* **

**And 'Clash of the Titans.' WHY LIAM NEESON, WHY? **

**-Oh, and that epic boss battle with Hades at the end... It WILL BLOW YOUR MUAIIND. **


	7. Nomads & Captain Hook's Ship

**_Winter Mémoires_**

_**A/N: Vague. Apologies**._

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><p><strong>Chapter 7: Nomads &amp; Captain Hook's Ship <strong>

I kept repeating to myself that all three of us would return to the clan one day. The mission would be a success. We'd defeat those wretched sorcerers. Save the realms. Go back. And resume our normal clan routine. It was like a simple 'to do' list. Tick, savour and move on. But now I was thinking that I shouldn't really get my hopes too high (even though I hadn't had that much to begin with). I also realised that it was proving a little hard for me to deny some feelings of… gratefulness. Though fleeting, as my gaze would hit the broad back of Sub Zero as he walked ahead of me, I would feel the need to thank him.

He specifically selected me, _me _out of a whole clan of real martial artists, for this mission, a mission which all the fates of the realms depended on.

Indeed I felt like a stronger fighter. But I wasn't itching to pick a fight with anyone yet, let alone two notorious sorcerers. But for Sub Zero to have chosen me, instead of Smoke or Lisa, indeed it felt like an honour like the Enenra said.

A day has barely passed since we had set out from the temple. As we made our way across the frozen wilderness, we had come across another Lin Kuei. It was a woman who appeared to be in her early thirties and judging by the staff she was holding and the robe that she was wearing, I'm guessing that she must've been a mage of some sort. And spread out behind her was an impressive looking rock structure. As I had gawped at its beauty, the mage had chanted a few mystical words and a strange thin layer of indigo had appeared and spread from rock to rock, forming a portal.

I've never walked through a portal before, and I could still feel the excitement that had bubbled inside me the moment I stepped through it. But it wasn't anything special. As I had poked my head out of the flimsy 'curtain', the ice was gone. Instead the vast area before my eyes was covered in green and a great deal of foliage. I realised then that we were in a forest, or even near a countryside, which could also mean that we were still in Earthrealm.

I didn't know which part of the realm we were in, and I was quite surprised to find myself not caring a bit. Right now it was early evening, and the journey so far had consisted of walking, resting (only for a very short while) and a bit of training. And the weather seemed to be in our favour too; bright, sunny but also a tad breezy – a good balance to say the least.

After such a long time living in the polar region of China, adapting and surviving in the glacial land with the snowmen, I never thought that feeling the warm rays of the sun on my skin would feel so blissful and alien. Or how the lush flora beneath my sore feet would feel so velvety and pleasant, as though a drought filled land was finally accepting glorious rain after so many years of deprivation.

It was time for training again, just after our second short break. Sub Zero decided to make us spar with each other; me and Frost that is. I didn't want to. Not with Frost. But of course, if I was not able to beat her, then what little chances I had of defeating the grandmaster would be scrapped away for an incredibly long time before I'd ever feel ready again.

While he stood leaning with his back against a giant oak tree, Frost and I took our positions, facing each other. At once, my heart started hammering. But it was more due to anticipation than fear. But what I was a little nervous about however, was the fact that Sub Zero had told his apprentice that she was allowed to use her special powers on me. Harsh. But of course it made sense; if I were fighting another warrior in a real situation, it's not like they would politely refrain from using special attacks just because I couldn't. I would just have to fight back with everything I had.

As I bent my knees slightly, thinking of a strategy, Frost suddenly charged at me. How reckless, I thought. Did she really think that she could make quick work of me in a matter of seconds?

I dodged a – what I thought to be– bone shattering palm thrust to the face and grabbed her wrist, intending to fling her aside. But she was obviously too cunning for that. And while she was about to attack me again, I've already let go of her and took a few steps back. Instantly, she thrust her palm in my direction and a spool of ice shot out of it. I ducked and tried to leg sweep my opponent, but Frost had somersaulted over me until she was behind me.

I quickly rolled forwards, flipped over to my back and blocked a heel that was brought down to my face with both arms. Frost appeared to loom over me and that somehow gave me renewed vigour as I punched her leg away before staggering back to my feet again.

Beating her would definitely take a while, I thought sullenly, glaring at her somewhat smug expression, as if she was already predicting who would win this little spar.

True enough, after an hour or so, I was beginning to tire slightly, and that was all Frost needed to pin me down. When she had blocked each of my attacks it had been like receiving a hit to the arm or leg, even though I only took a few grazing blows. To my satisfaction, it appeared that my opponent was also starting to feel as jaded as I was, beginning to use her ice powers on me a little more than necessary.

Finally Sub Zero intervened, calling a halt to the session.

"Enough," he said. The sky was now a strong shade of purple. We froze in our actions, me still gripping the huge boulder in front of me (of course I was using it as a shield against the ice projectiles), and Frost's right hand still clenched, beads of the element still swirling and fogging the air around it.

"Why?" she snapped, turning to her sifu. I almost cringed at the tone, but of course I was also wondering the same thing.

"We've done enough today," he said simply. "We need to keep moving."

I suppressed a sigh of relief. I didn't think that I'd have stood another chance there. But still I wondered, why did he stop us so early (of course, a real situation would've taken twice as long…)?

"But neither of us has won," I said.

"This isn't a question about winning or losing," Sub Zero responded, straightening his posture from the tree. "Nevertheless, you've both shown great promise. This is very encouraging as there is no doubt that we'd be encountering some foul creatures along the way."

He started walking along a grassy path that seemed to lead deeper into the woods. I suppressed another sigh. He wasn't even considering for us to rest. My whole body was aching and I was tempted to plonk myself down on the soft earth. But I heard another pair of feet pattering briskly ahead of me and I looked up to see Frost already catching up with the grandmaster. I quickly followed.

Soon enough, the whole surrounding was plunged into frosty darkness. But by this time, we had already located a decent cave somewhere near a stream.

"Where exactly are we heading?" I asked Sub Zero as he sat on a boulder near the entrance, intending to keep watch for the night.

"There is a sacred temple nearby," he replied, turning his head in my direction. "One of Lord Raiden's mages there will construct us a portal that would teleport us to the island."

I leant my head against the stony wall behind me.

"A steady pace would more or less allow us to arrive there in the morning," he continued.

I nodded, feeling a bit drowsy to form words.

On the opposite end of the cave laid Frost in her unfurled bed roll, seemingly already asleep. I couldn't help but think it odd that she didn't do anything to aggravate me yet. Normally she'd smart-mouth anyone who happened to be on the same team as hers. This made me extra wary for some reason. From what I've heard _and _witnessed throughout my time in the palace, Frost is one of those manipulative and calculative types. She would do whatever it took to get her way. Even going for the friendly persona if the situation required it. Didn't Smoke hint it himself prior to our leave?

"Your performance earlier was impressive," Sub Zero's deep voice cut through my thoughts.

I smiled. "Even though I didn't win?"

"I thought I already made it clear that it wasn't a question about winning or losing Luna," he sighed.

"You did," I said. "But I don't understand, wouldn't you have at least wanted someone to win? Like Frost for instance seeing that she's your apprentice?"

Sub Zero rested an arm on his knee. "I won't deny that I might've, but truthfully, I like the way how the session ended today. It proved to me that you are almost on the same level as her."

I felt my heart warm up. "That's good to hear. May I ask you one thing?"

"You may."

"Is it possible that you could spar with me one day?"

He looked at me questioningly.

"Before the real challenge between you and me I mean." I elaborated.

Sub Zero looked momentarily thoughtful. "I suppose we could. Anything that could hasten your progress is fine with me."

"Great," I paused before adding, "I was also wondering about something else."

"Yes?"

"Why didn't your mage simply teleport us to the island?"

"Simple," he said without hesitation. "She didn't know of its location. In fact, no one knows of it except for the Thunder God and the sorcerer Shang Tsung along with some of his allies. However, there are also the few whom Lord Raiden had entrusted with the information."

"Oh."

"Get some rest now. We have to be up by dawn's first light."

I laid myself on my bed roll. "Goodnight," I said softly to Sub Zero, just before letting my eyes shut, and I don't know whether he had responded to me or not as I've instantly fallen asleep.

* * *

><p>The journey to the temple took a few hours of fast travel. I hadn't had many expectations, but it was much larger than I had anticipated. The tower-like structure loomed into sight as the spaces between the trees widened. I didn't think anyone would've mistaken the edifice for a typical Asian shrine given how incredibly tall it was<em>. <em>Not _tall _as in _Srirangam tall, _but it was still a dizzying height.

According to Sub Zero, this was the _Sky Temple_; a special place of 'meditation' for the Thunder God, Raiden. But it also seemed like a fitting tomb for anyone who might get on his bad side. It didn't require much imagination to see how someone might splat to their death from one of those soaring levels.

Now standing in the courtyard, I stiffened when the person in front of us turned his attention to me. His eyes were so bright and pale that they almost seemed white even though they were blue, and his height… _godly._

Apparently, when the Thunder God came to the Lin Kuei to notify Sub Zero about the Deadly Alliance, the grandmaster had insisted that his apprentice was also ready to join their group. But the only way for Raiden to be convinced was through a challenge, so it was Frost versus Sub Zero. Unsurprisingly, her performance had impressed the Thunder God. He hadn't seen mine yet however, and now I was dreading that he could request for me and Sub Zero to spar with each other before he could confirm that I was also tolerable enough to join.

Wait – I was _dreading? _As in _worried _that I might fail to make a 'positive' impression of myself that I mightn't be able to fight for the realms? Shouldn't I be happy that I would be avoiding such peril if I was to be sent back? Oh right, my special mantra.

"Lord Raiden, I can assure you that Luna is also a capable fighter," Sub Zero was saying to Raiden. "In fact, I had them both spar with each other yesterday and they have both proven to be of equal strength, pace and agility."

The God's stern gaze met mine and said, "We are in no position to be depending on each other during this time of need. But because Sub Zero is a powerful ally of mine, I have no doubt that he is very loyal and trustworthy and so I hold his words to be true. If he claims that you are quite adept then I will believe so too. However," he added, facing Frost as well. "If you feel that you would not be able to tolerate the horrors that would be coming your way, now is the only time for you to withdraw."

"I'm staying," Frost said immediately.

"So am I," I added.

"Then it's decided," Raiden said with an air of finality. "But remember, irresponsibility will not be tolerated. Although we will support each other as a team, if you land yourselves into a foolish situation, the likelihood of one of us offering you assistance is very minimal."

The teleportation process was once again a simple one. In the end, it was Raiden who conducted it; no mages were present on the grounds. There were no needs for a magical recitation or special hand gestures as he simply firmed his grip on his staff and a flash of white filled my vision, a crack of lightning was heard, and then we found ourselves in a completely different location.

It was night time. I felt my heart skip a beat at the familiar sounds of sea waters splashing against the shore and the raucous rustling of leaves on palm trees. Instant reminiscence of home flooded my mind and I had to take a deep breath to keep a straight face. A little ahead of us, around a campfire sat five peculiar looking adults, all armed in their own styles; some with guns whilst others with oriental blades. They were most definitely the ones we were supposed to meet.

#

Surprisingly enough, although they've all come to help get rid of the Deadly Alliance, it seemed that it was mostly the idea of vengeance that had prompted them to answer Raiden's call. Sonya and Jax – to rescue some fellow agents and to deal with some traitor, Kung Lao – vengeance against the sorcerer for the death of Liu Kang, and finally Johnny Cage – for the mere thrill of adventure (Well I did say 'mostly').

Curt formalities now out of the way, Raiden once again replayed the threats that faced the realms and entire existence, how the Deadly Alliance was formed, and even running through some strategies that might increase our chances of defeating the Alliance.

Heavy tension hanging in the air, the Thunder God finally stood up and strode to the edge of the seashore. He raised his staff to the skies and, for the first time I've heard so far, chanted some magical incantations in a clear booming voice, fit for a God... _Thunder _God.

At once the sea level rose astoundingly and without warning, a ship burst out of the surface, tearing the waters clean momentarily until finally, it was simply a ship floating peacefully on the clear ocean. Magical. I remember Sub Zero explaining to us about it. But I forgot its name. I think it began with an 'N.' The Netherrealm? Netherland? Neverland?

I felt a hand on my shoulder briefly and looked up to see Sonya giving me a light push towards the ship where everyone was making their way towards. I quickly followed the group, keeping my distance with Sub Zero as close as possible.

And thus commenced the journey to oblivion.


	8. Lost

**Chapter 8: Lost**

_**A/N: I know, I'm so evil! I'm sorry. I'M SORRY.**_

* * *

><p>And to oblivion it was.<p>

Chewing my lower lip nervously, I peeked under my red locks at the Grandmaster as he walked – no, limped towards the immobile being. I raised a hand slightly over my eyes to block the sunlight from obscuring my vision as I followed dejectedly, full of regret and grief.

Who would've thought, I thought to myself for the umpteenth time today. Such strength and courage... wasted.

If only I was quicker, I might've been able to stop her. If only I was stronger, I might've been able to wrench it away from her grasp. If only I was gifted, I might've even been able to free him and this tragedy could've been avoided.

But I was none.

And it was all my fault.

I felt a sharp pang in my heart as Sub Zero gently cradled the elfin body, almost as if he wanted the warmth of his body to revive her. I gritted my teeth as I turned my head away, facing the monstrous beauty of Outworld below. But not before my gaze hit the object at fault lying just a little ahead of me. Its golden colour sharply contrasted with the dull brown beneath it.

So what led to this you might ask? Well, allow me.

The moment the group had separated to hunt for the sorcerers in different parts of Outworld, the Grandmaster had instructed us to investigate the southern part of the realm whilst he ventured into the Eastern region; his main intention was to persuade Lei Chen's, Lord Zeffero to assist us in our cause. I was partnered with Frost. Back then, I thought, what could go wrong?

And then we encountered Kano and his minions. For some reason, I had a strange inkling that we had met before. That train of thought was quickly halted the moment we had heard them mention something about a palace. Apparently, a village at a seaside was being kept captive until all the civilians, aka _slaves _had successfully constructed the sorcerers' fortress.

We were hiding behind a boulder... which happened to be right next to the notorious Living Forest. The reason to what happened next was something I understood now. Frost had shoved me roughly into their paths. What was my reason back then? Live bait.

I was _this _close to losing a leg by a spear-like branch if not for one of the underlings who had rushed in front of me, no doubt trying to "arrest" me. I had made quick work of the rest of men who had tried to attack me but by then, Frost had already appeared behind me and had immediately restrained me. The rage I had felt towards her had almost impelled me to sink my teeth into her icy hands, but that was until I realised that she had started to speak directly to the leader.

"We are at your service," she had said. "Allow us to aid you in the construction of Lord Quan Chi and Shang Tsung's palace."

To cut a long story short, the goof fell for it. Apparently, he had intended to dispose of these fellows before we had even arrived. In addition, he even believed the outrageous lie that I "panicked" when I "tripped", hence leading to my "destructive reflex". In fact, he was _impressed. _I didn't know whether to feel flattered or disgusted.

After we had been "escorted" to the village, we were immediately given the task to assist the other "slaves" with the construction. And although I was practically dying to mutilate the other half of his face, I knew that this would have caused unwanted attention. So we kept it safe...r.

I confronted Frost the moment Kano was out of earshot.

"Why didn't you warn me?"

She had had her mask off and her signature frost had vanished, no doubt to reduce the "suspicion level" of the dunce. Not that I thought was needed. I didn't think that he would have been able to tell the difference between a Lin Kuei and a block of ice.

"Because you might not have agreed to it," was her blunt response.

"I would if I had known the rationale behind it!"

A pause. And then, "Don't you think that you're saying it now because you just lost face to me?"

The fiery blush that had engulfed my face had almost equated to the red of my hair but I had only shaken my head in response. I was too exasperated, but mostly because I knew there was a task at hand. It was no time for childish squabble.

"Look, it doesn't matter what you think of me, what you did, I guess made sense so- "

"You guess?" she interrupted. "What would you have done?"

I groaned. "Alright fine. It _was _the right thing. Now let's just get on with this mission. We're wasting time."

But of course, she wouldn't let it slide. "What's the matter Luna? Can't take the heat?"

You know what, I almost chortled at that. "No I can't, but that's the Lin Kuei for you. So my guess is that the sorcerers should be here."

"I'm dead serious, Luna."

"So am I."

Her fingers twitched. I tensed. "What gives you the right to be so cheeky with me?"

"I'm not being cheeky. I'm just saying that there are more pressing matters to attend to."

One menacing step. "You don't have _any _right." Her voice was deadly.

I had stared at her then. She was dead serious alright. "Please elaborate."

"Just what gives you the right to claim to be a Lin Kuei when you have proven _nothing_?"

My eyes had narrowed. So that was what was bugging her. "I didn't ask to be one in the first place."

"But you still claim to be one!"

"I said that I didn't ask to be one but I'm not denying the fact that I am a Lin Kuei. The Grandmaster must've seen some kind of worth in me if he decided to accept me into his clan." Of course, I wasn't going to reveal to her the true reason. It didn't concern her.

"Only the _best _becomes a Lin Kuei. You have proven nothing." She repeated.

I had shrugged. "Maybe to you I didn't. But to him, apparently I did."

Two menacing steps. "Let me tell you something Luna," her voice screamed "Death to Luna". "You're nothing but a plain nuisance. A coward and a simpleton. I am a warrior by nature. In fact, that is _only _reason why I was recruited. Because of my talents and strength. By contrast, you were _adopted_ by Sub Zero because he's too weak and soft. An absolute disgrace. You didn't prove your worth to become a Lin Kuei. You didn't have to face hordes of combatants in a survival ring to be selected. Only the _best _becomes a Lin Kuei. You have proven _nothing_!"

I bit my bottom lip so hard that I drew blood. That was what I wanted to draw from her. "Like I said before, it doesn't matter what you think of me Frost. We've been assigned a mission. What anybody thinks of my role in the Lin Kuei is probably the least of my concern. I don't care if you hate my guts. In fact, if it makes you feel good, I loathe you as well." God, how I hated her.

Her expression had turned sour and for a moment I thought that she was going to reach for her blades, but then she had faltered. Opting instead to smirk at me. "No matter, you won't last today."

And then she had placed her mask back on, turned and slashed at the nearest Outworlder soldier, immediately alerting the rest of the militia. I obviously had no choice but to defend myself from the incoming wave; three mini Shao Khans.

Ten ugly scratches and cuts later, my "partner" had disappeared. Another something that I understood now.

Frost had hoped for the soldiers to kill me.

#

I had always known Frost to be the ruthless type, but never murderous. In all honesty, I was quite shocked at the knowledge. I had thought that we had simply separated during the fight. How wrong I was.

With no sight of the sorcerers within the village, I didn't know of what else to do. The Grandmaster had specifically instructed us to search within the area. With Frost nowhere to be found and with no idea of what else to be accomplished, I had decided to return to the _Dragonfly, _hoping that I would meet with the Grandmaster.

I _could _have tried searching the Living Forest, but somehow I knew that even notorious sorcerers wouldn't dare set foot in that wretched place.

#

The Grandmaster was there alright, but so was Frost. A flicker of surprise had crossed her expression and I realised the way she had been scrutinising my injuries. Again in my naivety, I had thought it to be a trickery of the light. A_gain, _how wrong I was.

Sub Zero had reported to us that a new leader had taken over Lei Chen, Hotaru. A commander of the realm of Order. In the end, he didn't ask for the new leader's cooperation as he claimed that one should always be wary of the prices a denizen of Seido might ask in return for a service.

I remarked that Frost had been constantly switching her attention from him to I throughout. Seeing that she wasn't going to make an effort to report our discovery, I had recounted our encounter with Kano, the imprisoned civilians and their task in constructing Quan Chi and Shang Tsung's palace, carefully leaving out _other_ details. I had hoped to reserve them for a more appropriate time.

Sub Zero was impressed with our findings and stated that he would relay them to Lord Raiden once we met up with the Earthrealm forces at the Rendezvous.

He had then placed his hands on top of our heads, a gesture of extreme pride. My heart had swelled with happiness and for a moment, the mission did not seem to matter. It had appeared that our focus – negotiable – on the mission had led us to gather some valuable information. The pride in his eyes was blatant, he was proud that his apprentices were able to prove to be of use during such an important mission.

And then he had turned his back.

#

We have not spoken since that incident. The medallion was reattached to the Grandmaster's armour and he was still cradling Frost's lifeless body. We were in the Dragonfly, high up in Outworld's endless dark skies. For some reason, I didn't think that we were heading to the Rendezvous just yet.

"You have done well."

I jumped at the quiet deep voice of the man who had his back to me. I gulped. I didn't know how to respond to that so I just grimaced painfully instead. How could he say that I "have done well" when I wasn't even able to prevent Frost from meeting her doom? She was exceptionally fast.

The Grandmaster turned his head slightly in my direction. "I am proud of you Luna. You have proven your worth on your first mission." His eyes creased over his mask. He was smiling. He was proud.

But that was little comfort as my gaze refused to budge from the woman. Could I have been the catalyst to her downfall?

Sub Zero noticed. He sighed. "I believe," he returned his attention to the body, "a fitting burial would be of utmost importance at the moment".

I bit my lip. "Yes," it almost sounded like a wheeze. My throat felt so clogged up that I feared that I may cry at any moment. And I'm most definitely not the crying type.

I wanted to tell Sub Zero about our heated argument back in the village. I somehow knew that I was partly to blame. Maybe this wouldn't have happened if I hadn't been so irritable... But was it possible that she may have been planning for this moment? All of these blatant signs, her hostility towards fellow Lin Kuei, Smoke's warning – from the moment she had pushed me into Kano's path to when she... had _hoped _for the soldiers to kill me... Could they have really been the signs leading up to this moment?

Now I was also pondering on the fact that maybe I shouldn't have left out those extra details... Maybe I should have disclosed them immediately the moment I met him. Maybe this would have alerted him. He could've been prepared. But then again, would he have believed me? Would he have believed that his most prized apprentice had been exhibiting _signs _of betrayal?

Would it make a difference if I were to tell him now?

Furthermore, Frost had already been by Sub Zero's side before I had arrived. Was it possible that she may have said something to him? Worse, how will the clan react to the news?

I suppressed an exasperated sigh. I was losing it.

"Luna."

I looked up. Sub Zero was holding out a hand to me. I realised that he had shifted Frost over a shoulder.

"What is it?"

"The Dragonfly will land at a temple where the portal leading to our destination will open. But first, I would like Frost to be rested in a more... secluded place where she would most definitely not be disturbed."

I was still confused. "What do you have in mind?"

"We aim to land on that mountain," he gestured with his head below. I followed his gaze. Indeed there was a snow covered mountain range below us, and it appeared very close.

Then it hit me. "Are you- Are you suggesting that we _jump?" _

"Yes."

Without warning, he had grabbed my hand and the next thing I knew.

We did just that.

#

And landed on the mountain.

"Show off..." I muttered under my breath. Fortunately, he didn't seem to hear.

Being the ice master he was, Sub Zero had created a sort of "ice slide" that had allowed us to skate to the ledge of the mountain safely. I had to cling to him for dear life even though it only took mere seconds, which was quite embarrassing considering my love for roller coaster rides.

Instantly, I was engulfed by the cold arctic winds. My breaths were coming out as frozen puffs and I was immediately reminded of the clan. At least I had a coat there...

For a minute, I had actually thought that he was going to go back to the Lin Kuei to bury Frost's remains. That seemed like a more fitting choice to me.

I sucked in a breath when I felt an ice cold hand wrap around my wrist. I whipped my head around to face the master when all of a sudden, the sharp cold that had enveloped me before had abated significantly.

"Better?" Sub Zero asked.

I nodded shakily. "Yes. Thank you."

He didn't respond to that, merely walked ahead of me. His hand enclosed my own. I realised that it was uncharacteristically warm.

I found it a little odd that Sub Zero has said nothing about the incident yet. The shock in his eyes was apparent, but you could also spot a twinge of sorrow in those eyes of his. It was even more apparent after the... attack. Walking in front of me now with slow, long, purposeful strides, it wasn't rocket science to guess that he was hurting inside. Frost was after all, his finest student.

After what seemed like ten minutes later, we stumbled upon an entrance of a cave. A coat of ice was blocking the opening.

"Do you think that it's abandoned?" I asked, hesitant.

"I'm quite certain it is." He responded easily.

I quickly wrapped my arms around my torso when he released my hand and placed both palms upon the thin barrier. "Won't take long," he assured me.

I nodded, trying to keep my teeth from chattering too much.

It was only a matter of seconds before the ice had thinned until it became droplets of water. When the entrance was wide enough, Sub Zero had already stepped inside the dark opening. I followed.

#

A hallway.

While Sub Zero was busy re-sealing the opening, I ventured further into the dark passage. It was bigger than I had anticipated. And much warmer than I had thought. Though spacious, it didn't appear to hold much here. There was a multitude of cuboid cases lined on either side of the hall and just ahead of me, in the next room was an ancient looking altar. That was it.

The cases were encrusted in ice so it was difficult to pick out what laid within. The room with the altar was much spacious. That's all it was, an empty space consisting solely of the structure. Advancing until I was in front of it, my heart dropped when I realised that the characters engraved on the surface was indiscernible to my eyes. They were Cantonese characters.

At the sounds of snow crunching, I turned and met the Grandmaster's steady gaze as he approached me. I stepped away from the altar. "It's Cantonese Grandmaster," I informed him, like as if he wouldn't have found out anyway.

He gave a small nod and stood in front of the altar, wiped away the flimsy ice coating from the surface and remained still as he surveyed the writing.

I decided to wait for a little while before I retreated back in the hallway. I remarked that some of the cases were not as much covered in ice as the others and so decided to inspect them a bit closer.

Bodies in fully armour.

My heart skipped a beat at the sight. Could it be that this was a... _tomb_?

I glanced over my shoulder at the Grandmaster who still had his head lowered. Could it be that he was aware of such fact?

A chill ran down my spine. Why did I have the feeling that we had just intruded on something sacred? Or could it simply be that I was becoming paranoid again...?

I sighed and let my body slide against the slippery wall until I was in a crouched position, preparing myself for the long wait.

Which didn't turn out to be so long after all. Or maybe I had fallen asleep and had lost track of time.

"Luna?" called Sub Zero.

I was struggling to stand up due to my groggy state until I felt strong hands steadying me. My face reddened at the kind gesture.

"Alright?" he asked.

I nodded. "Yes. Sorry about that. Had I fallen asleep by any chance?"

His eyes creased slightly. "Perhaps you may have had. It is quite late after all."

I glanced at the sealed entrance and could make out the dimness of its exterior. It was a more light bluish before.

"Oh," I said, oddly embarrassed.

Sub Zero ruffled my hair gently. "Come inside. We'll spend the night here before resuming our journey tomorrow. We'll need all the strength we could muster."

"Yes," I replied and followed him into the next room.

And realised that Frost was nowhere to be found.

Sub Zero sensed my confusion. "Don't worry. Frost has been laid in her rightful place."

I searched around me, bewildered. "And where would that be?"

The man snorted softly. "That must have been quite a deep slumber if you hadn't heard me."

I frowned at the comment but didn't say anything.

He walked towards the nearest sarcophagus (I understood that's what it was now) and placed a hand, in a tenderly fashion, upon it. This action moved me.

"I see," I said quietly.

The death of a comrade... was it something that the Lin Kuei was made to accept? All of these months of living in the clan, it had never once occurred to me that the ninjas had to face such hardship.

I walked to the end of the room and removed my bed roll from my backpack, unrolled it and sat on it with my legs straight. The Grandmaster remained that way for a few moments before he came to sit beside me. He released a slow long sigh, as if he was releasing all the tension from his body.

I turned my head towards him. Our eyes met. "What did you discover?" I asked him.

He crossed his legs. "My ancestors," he responded quietly.

I blinked. "Ancestors?" I echoed.

He nodded. "The inscription on the altar stated that a lost race of people, whom were called 'cyromancers', had the ability to attain mastery over ice. In addition, the names of my forefathers were written on it, indicating that I am their descendents," he paused, his gaze flickering back to the sarcophagus. "So was Frost."

This new information did not surprise me. In fact, nothing seemed to surprise me anymore. "I see," that seemed to be my response to everything now.

Silence lingered briefly in the air.

"How are you feeling Luna?" Sub Zero asked unexpectedly.

I jerked. "Fine," I replied hastily.

His gaze flickered to mine. I quickly lowered my eyes.

"Luna-"

I scrunched my eyes shut. "I'm sorry," I spat all of a sudden.

I heard Sub Zero shift. "Luna don-"

But I didn't stop. "It's my fault! If I had told you sooner, maybe- just maybe this could've been avoided. But I didn't. I didn't. And it's all my fault."

The man put a hand on my shoulder, gentle but firm. "What is it that you should have told me sooner?" he questioned gently, surprising me to the core. He should be angry!

"About Frost..." I started uneasily. I wanted to slap his hand away. His kindness was driving me nuts. "Back in the village, we had an argument."

Sub Zero said nothing, only waiting for me to continue.

"She," I gulped, "She said that I was never meant to be a part of the Lin Kuei and that my presence was like a burden."

"What else happened?" he prompted.

I ran a hand through my hair. "I got angry. I said that I didn't care about what she thought of me and that I hated her so much."

"It was a natural reaction on your part Luna, but I fail to see how this is your fault."

I grabbed a fistful of red locks and squeezed tightly. He will see now. "I think... I think that I might have seen some... _signs_ leading to..." I let that particular sentence hanging.

I could almost _feel _him stiffen. "What happened? What did she do?"

This was terrible. I was speaking ill of the dead. But I couldn't hide it any longer from him. So I told him about those details that I had to supposedly hoped to reserve them for another time. I told him about when she pushed me into Kano's horde, when I had almost lost a leg by the monstrous tree if not for the minion, to when she had left me to fight off Shao Kahn's soldiers in the village.

I was trembling by the time I had finished. Sub Zero's eyes were wide and I could've sworn that I saw his fingers twitch. "So when she was the only one at the Dragonfly..." he said slowly, before realisation seemed to dawn on him when he didn't finish the sentence.

"No Luna, no," he said suddenly. "None of this is your fault."

I raised my head up, taken back. "Why do you say that?" I asked, incredulous.

He simply shook his head. "I don't think that it would have made a difference if you had still told me," the sadness in his tone was apparent. It tugged at my heart.

But it also made me angry. "It would if I had only been stronger!" I shouted. How could he still not see? It was me! If I had been stronger, Frost would've still lived. Sub Zero wouldn't have lived in torment! Why couldn't he see?! It's right in front of him!

The Grandmaster immediately reached for me, intending to touch my shoulder again but I wouldn't let him. I gritted my teeth and quickly stood up, turning away from him. Just how could he not_ blame_ me? Frost was right, I didn't prove anything. I wasn't even worthy of the title Lin Kuei.

Wait! Why did I care anyway? I only had one purpose here, and that was to get _away _from this wretched place! But why was it affecting me so much? Why was I forming attachments with those that I was meant to hate? Why was I feeling sorry for Frost when she betrayed the clan? When she hurt the Grandmaster? Why couldn't I be glad that she was dead! Why couldn't _hate _Sub Zero? Why couldn't he simply change the rules or whatever and release me? Why did I have to get dragged into this?

Why was I so _weak?_

Why was I so _worthless? _

I yanked my hair with all of my strength and punched the wall so hard that I felt my knuckles numb instantly from the impact. A strange sound came out of my throat, like a choke and I succumbed to self-worthlessness. I collapsed to my knees and just stared ahead blankly.

I missed my family. My mother, father, sisters...

I have taken them all for granted.

And now I was paying the price.

If only I wasn't naive back then.

This could have all been avoided.

But why would it have been any different? I have always been, and will always be weak...

It required little effort for strong, large hands to pry my hands away from my tangled hair and for the Grandmaster to kneel in front of me. He held my hands in his own, and at once, familiar soothing warmth radiated through my arms.

"I want you to listen closely to me now," Sub Zero spoke lowly. "Look at me."

The authoritative yet gentle tone compelled me to obey. His eyes were slightly red. "I don't ever want you to utter such nonsense again," he continued. "I haven't yet witnessed an individual with no history of martial arts progress as far as you did and thus I don't ever want you to see such little worth in yourself, because you _are _strong, Luna." he placed the tips of his fingers upon my forehead, "and I don't just mean physically."

I didn't say anything. He was only focusing on that one aspect. It was so much more than that.

"What happened today was a tragedy. I don't think that anyone would have suspected that she would have gone that far," he paused before resuming, "In any case, the blame falls squarely upon my own shoulders."

Like a jolt, I raised my head. "What?"

Sub Zero released a heavy sigh. "It was my own ill judgement. I should have emphasised the importance of team work to Frost. I should have taught her the same life philosophies that I, myself was taught at an early age. Unfortunately, I was more enraptured by her exceptional fighting skills and ice abilities that I have failed to dampen her pride and only encouraged her to revel in the belief that she was on a higher level than her comrades. If anyone needs to be at fault here Luna, it would be me. I was her sifu, her mentor, her icon. And it was a result of my ill teaching that had moulded her into what she had become."

There was a different look in his eyes. One that I have never seen before.

Loathe.

All this time... he blamed himself for her death?

"You're wrong," I said automatically.

Sub Zero blinked. "I'm sorry?"

"You're wrong," I repeated firmly. "You were never a poor teacher. In fact, you're the complete opposite of one. You did your best to transform her into an honourable Lin Kuei fighter and you succeeded," I didn't know where this sudden determination came from but I didn't stop. "It was her own decision to dampen her pride but she chose not to. She wasn't a child so she didn't really need that kind of guidance." She was simply power driven was what I wanted to add, but I didn't. "You just did what you had to do; enhance her fighting abilities. That was it. The rest was up to her." The rest was common sense.

A heavy silence lingered in the air before Sub Zero chuckled. "Silly child. And here you were blaming yourself."

"So were you," I retorted.

He shook his head before standing up, helping me up to my feet. "I think," he began, "that it's time that we rested."

I gave a half hearted nod. Turning around and walking towards my bed roll, I suddenly paused in my tracks at the next words.

"Thank you Luna."

Those three words sounded so gentle and sincere. It unexpectedly brought hot tears to my eyes. I gritted my teeth and shut my eyes tightly for a moment.

Then I muttered. "There's nothing to be thanked for."

We still had a mission.

We still had a long way to go.

He still didn't understand.

#

_**I still need to improve .  
><strong>_


	9. It begins

**Winter Memoires**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I'm starting to feel so guilty with all these apologies for huge delays… Where I left off last year (cries a monsoon), I was getting ready for my final exams (that determined my fate of whether I would go to university or not), and then I was worried about not getting a job (got one now), and finally, there was my driving test last month (I passed). It was hectic (whose isn't?)**

**But in the end, I keep repeating; I have never, and will never abandon this fic! **

**I also apologise if I'm a bit rusty in this chapter (haven't I always?). I also apologise (and warning you) that you may realise that I have rushed some parts in this chapter (mainly because I wanted to update the fic quicker). I hope the next one would be much better. **

**Thank you for bearing with me, and especially "PennNamee4321"! :-)**

* * *

><p><strong>Chapter 9: It begins… <strong>

Regal.

That was the first word on the tip of my tongue when Sub Zero had donned the new armour. It most definitely seemed like it was made for him. And now in the heavy snow, it was even more suiting to his build. The soft contrast between white and blue was simply perfect. _Now_ he appeared like a true Lin Kuei Grandmaster. Regal and lethal in both appearance and character.

With Frost now laid in her rightful place, we resumed our journey to the Rendezvous. I still couldn't shake off the feeling of discomfort when Sub Zero decided to hold my hand in his to ward off the bitter cold that had been quickly surrounding me. Although slightly uncomfortable, I welcomed it openly. The warmth was simply too inviting to resist.

But I was also uncomfortable about the previous night. Although no word had been passed between us, the tension hovered above our heads like black clouds. Well that's what I thought anyway.

Since the Dragonfly was nowhere in sight, we had no choice but to travel on foot. Luckily, the area wasn't as large as the North Pole as I could already spot some greenery in the near distance. I supposed this was where we were headed.

Thank the Elder Gods.

And it wasn't even the cold that prompted me to think that.

It was Sub Zero's presence.

I couldn't understand why, but somehow it was becoming more and more unbearable to be by his side with every passing minute.

Because it felt like I crossed an invisible line yesterday...

That aside, there was another something that I noticed as soon as we stepped out of the cave.

Sub Zero's arms.

Before, his old armour covered every inch of his flesh.

Now my attention seemed to be entirely fixated upon this newfound anatomy.

They were so lean and firm, and _very _muscled. Like as if a single strike could easily shatter a skull...

...or keep you warm—

My cheeks instantly grew hot and a prickly sensation washed over my face.

What in the world was I thinking?

Stay focused Luna. You're on a mission, remember?

Yet, averting my gaze was proving somewhat hard.

#

"Here we are," announced Sub Zero.

A village.

"You know this place?" I asked, examining the numerous structures within the broken walls.

"Of course," Sub Zero replied. "My clan aided its folks in the past. Come on."

At this stage, I'd rather save the questions for later.

"Wait," Guess not. "Do you think they'd welcome us?"

He didn't stop walking. "Come on," he repeated.

There was this something in his tone that screamed authority, no matter how soft or calm he sounded. It was as if every time he ordered you to do something, you instinctively act upon it. No questions asked.

It sometimes scared me.

Entering the village, the air was cool and the sky remained cloudy. Yet, the area was deserted. There was hardly any sign of people. Furthermore, it could almost seem like the village was brutally raided not too long ago as the damages inflicted upon its walls, huts and gardens were still fresh. Some of the buildings were either missing windows or possessed severely cracked ones and the curtains flowing, or what were left of them, were completely ripped to shreds.

Not exactly the normality that I was quite expecting.

The scent of dry leaves and timber lingered heavily in the air, causing light nerviness to stir in my stomach. How beautiful this place must've been before terror struck.

No sooner had we taken a few steps into the village when-

"Grandmaster Sub Zero!"

It was a masculine voice. And it was filled with shock. And delight?

The figure shot out from one of the ruined huts and instantly ran towards us. The moment he stepped out, I remarked a tiny mass of scruffy black hair peeking just above the rim of the window. Followed by another and another.

How cute, I thought. So there were people here after all.

I felt Sub Zero move beside me. He took a step back, paused for a second and then-

-bowed?

What? Why was he bowing to his fellow?

I looked at the man again. His clothes were tattered and covered in filth. He bore no semblance to what one might consider an important figure. So why...?

"It is good to see you again," he said as he stopped in front of Sub Zero, who was already standing upright again.

"Likewise Isen," he replied.

The man – Isen – turned his attention to me. "A travel companion?"

I nodded. "Yes," I stuck out a hand. "My name is Luna."

Isen tipped his head forwards and took my proffered hand in one cracked hand. "A friend of the Grandmaster is also a friend of mine," he said, voice filled with blatant sincerity. I found myself already warming up to him. That soon huh?

"Isen," Sub Zero spoke. "You once offered to be of assistance if ever the day may come where I would be in requirement of one."

The man quickly straightened his posture and nodded vigorously, his maroon eyes shining. "Yes indeed Grandmaster. I am a man of my words. What is it that you request of us?" he asked eagerly.

Sub Zero's eyes creased. He was smiling. "We need a roof over our heads for the night."

"I would most certainly grant you that request, Grandmaster. However," his voice suddenly lost its enthusiasm. "a place like this would not be suiting to your stature and grace."

Sub Zero chuckled. "I would have to disagree. I have rested in far more disastrous places than what you consider this place to be during my past missions. In fact, this is bliss in comparison to them."

"Then if you would please allow me a moment," enthusiasm at its best, "I will select for you a decent sized hut for you and your lovely companion."

"I am most grateful," the Grandmaster responded humbly.

"Thank you," I said. I was not one for big formal words anyway.

Mumbles and cries. Whispers and gasps of awe.

Suddenly...

We – were – surrounded.

By a _lot _of people.

Grandparents, parents and children, elders and teenagers alike, all in torn and ragged clothing. As piteous as the sight was, there was a sense of courage that radiated from the group. Like as if they've been through hell and back again.

"Your mere presence is enough to ignite a ray of hope in the hearts of my people," Isen said quietly before he dashed from the scene towards the rows of huts to begin his search.

What a... nice fellow.

#

The mutters and whispers gradually escalated to audible chatters. Although a good majority of the group was blatantly pointing at us, Sub Zero remained completely calm, as if he was used to that kind of attention. I, on the other hand, was a shivering, nervous wreck. _I _was neither calm nor was I used to that sort of attention.

As I was ruminating about the situation, an elderly woman suddenly stepped out from the group and stood in front of us. Quietness instantly filled the scene.

She bowed. "Grandmaster Sub Zero. Would you allow me the honour to offer your temporary residence in my home?"

Unlike with Isen, there was a brief pause before Sub Zero replied. "Yes my lady. It would in fact be an honour on our part." Although the words flowed gracefully, there seemed to be an air of… wariness in his tone. But he did not sound unkind.

The woman dipped her head again. "I am most humbled. Please follow me."

Nothing but debris filled the area. Cracked glasses and broken woods layered the sooty ground, nearing the point that it appeared completely natural. It saddened me to see so many young faces brightening at the mere sight of the Grandmaster. Saddened because they seemed like they hadn't lifted a smile in a very long time. Could it be that they might revert back to their "original" emotions the moment he leaves the village?

As we walked, I pondered on the different possibilities that could have resulted in the village's state; varying from a provocation to a plain unprovoked inhumane raid.

Reaching the hut, I realised that it was in a slightly better condition than the rest, although, it was still a rather pitiful sight to behold. Instead of entering the building, the woman sat at the remains of a table outside the damaged door. We followed suit, taking a seat on a rustic oak chair each.

The woman stared at me before asking Sub Zero. "Can she be trusted?"

"Yes," the reply was uttered quicker than a heartbeat. "Luna is a trustworthy companion and friend."

My heart pounded a little faster at that.

...f_riend. _

Something blossomed in my chest when he uttered the word. Did he really consider me as more than a comrade? As a friend?

Seemingly content enough, the woman launched straight to the topic at hand. "I am certain that you are wondering about the dreaded cause of our village's condition."

The phrase wasn't aimed at me. "I hadn't anticipated the sight Rao. What catastrophe beheld your home?" the grandmaster asked gravely.

Rao laughed with unconcealed contempt, "A catastrophe indeed Grandmaster." She turned her attention to me again. "Might you perhaps know of the 'Black Dragon' clan, child?"

I froze momentarily. Why was this question directed at me? "I do have some knowledge of the clan," I said carefully.

"Indeed," she frowned. "If you must know, a horde of Black Dragon cutthroats attacked our peaceful village just three months ago."

"I am sincerely saddened and sorry to hear that," I said truthfully, but still confused at the way the question was thrown at me.

"My lady," Sub Zero cut in smoothly. I didn't miss the fleeting glance he shot at me. My confusion increased. "What could possibly be the reason as to why they have chosen your village as target?"

"It appears that they were after someone," she replied without hesitation.

An uncomfortable pause. "Who my lady?"

"It was a traitor if I recall straight," she said, giving no indication that she heard Sub Zero. "A woman who lost her memory who they thought had taken refuge in the village."

"Had she?" Sub Zero pressed.

Rao blinked at the grandmaster as if seeing him for the first time. "Of course not. We don't even know what she looks like. Convinced that they had trapped her here, the soldiers attacked the village without warning, believing that we were lying to them to protect her."

She shook her head. "At the realisation that she couldn't be found, they merely left the place at the brink of destruction, kidnapping with them the few children that were within their reach and slaying the men and women in their paths."

I felt intense chill down my spine and an urge to take a huge gulp of air. I felt like I was suffocating. I wasn't only sorry or saddened I now realised. But livid and frightened.

"As much as the knowledge enrages me my lady, I am curious as to why hadn't you requested the Lin Kuei's aid?"

I strongly agreed with him there. Why hadn't she?

"Two reasons," Rao said. "The first one being that requesting for your assistance once was enough, and the second one is the fact that your clan would have taken days to arrive to our village. Wouldn't you agree? Especially with your clan being in Earthrealm and ours in Outworld?"

Sub Zero chuckled, although it was laced with more sadness than happiness. "It was worth a try."

"What is your full name?" Rao asked me brusquely all of a sudden.

I was startled. My normal response to a grumpy stranger would've equally been brusque, without revealing my name of course. But in this case...

I looked to Sub Zero for some kind of help or any hint for that matter. He was staring back at me, his eyes revealing nothing.

"Child, I've just asked you a question. What is your name?"

"My name is Luna."

"Your _full _name."

Ugh! Why?

"With no means of disrespect my lady, why would you want to know her full name?" Sub Zero cut in again. Now this seemed odd.

"I'm sure there's nothing wrong in asking that now is there? So I shall ask you more simply Luna. What is your surname? I would also appreciate it if you didn't try to be so cheeky in your replies next time."

Cheeky? Just who did she think she was?! And for the record, I wasn't even a child!

I mentally sighed. I guess she was right. What harm could there be?

"It's Luna D-"

"I found one!"

Oh sweet _sweet _timing.

We turned our attention to the source of the interruption. It was Isen running in our directions, his eyes shining as brightly as ever.

"Isen," Sub Zero greeted as he stood up immediately. I quickly followed. Anything to distract me from the intimidating lady.

He bowed gracefully. "Grandmaster Sub Zero and Luna, I have found the perfect hut that would be most suiting to you for the night. If you would please follow me, I will gladly guide you to it."

"Thank you Isen," Sub Zero and I said in unison. I looked at him and our eyes met. A smile instantly graced my lips and his eyes creased slightly. Interestingly, this felt like one of those normal moments I've experienced so far "here".

Sub Zero turned around. "I am most grateful that you- Rao?"

"Oh?" Rao wasn't here anymore. She must've been extremely stealthy if even _Sub Zero _didn't notice her leave.

"Is there a problem, Grandmaster?" Isen asked.

"If you ever find Rao," Sub Zero said. "Please relay the message that Luna and I are immensely grateful that she had taken the time to offer us a warm welcome and temporary roof over our heads."

"Yes Grandmaster, I will most certainly do so. Now if you would please follow me."

"Certainly."

#

I sighed contently as I collapsed onto a large cushion in the bedroom. Isen told us that the hut had once belonged to a woman resident. Sadly, she was no longer in the village.

After leading us to the hut, the man had hastily retreated as if he had urgent matters to attend to, leaving us to our devices.

"Alright?" Sub Zero asked me as he set down his backpack onto the wooden floor.

I nodded wearily. All of a sudden I felt exhausted.

"I take it this is quite overwhelming for you."

"It's not. I'm just a bit tired," I answered. "By the way..."

Sub Zero raised his head, "Hm?"

"How do they know you?"

The man stared at me.

"I mean, how exactly did you help them?" I elaborated, remembering that he did mention that he helped the people in the past.

Sub Zero sat cross legged opposite me. "It was many years ago," he explained. "To cut a long story short, the village was attacked by hordes of tarkatans in the middle of a night. I only happened to stumble upon the violence during a mission. Upon the realisation that they were no match for the beasts, I assisted the villagers in drawing the hordes as back as possible."

"And you succeeded?" I asked, realising a bit too late that this was a dumb question.

"To an extent."

"To an extent?" I echoed.

"Many lives were lost that day so I wouldn't exactly call it a true victory."

I almost rolled my eyes with unexplained exasperation. "You did your best. It would've been a lot worse had you ignored them."

"That is true," Sub Zero agreed. "By the way, did you remark something about Isen?"

Other than the oversized tattered coat and overly polite demeanour? "No. What about him?"

He didn't answer the question straight away. "We fought side by side during the ambush," he said. "A formidable fighter he was, very skilful and powerful", his tone suddenly lowered. "At a point, I became distracted protecting a child from a barrage of tarkatan blades that I hadn't realised that one of them had crept behind me and was about to deal the finishing blow."

"Grandmaster?" I asked uncertainly when he didn't speak for a few seconds. He seemed lost in thought. I also realised that my heart was pounding. "What happened next?"

"Isen stepped in front of the tarkatan and was pierced with the blades instead", he finally said heavily. "His intention was to sacrifice his life to protect mine he had revealed afterwards. The strike resulted in him losing his left arm."

I placed a hand to my forehead. I kept saying to myself that I shouldn't be shocked anymore but I couldn't help but feel _low _and disgusted with myself. Now I understood why he wore that large coat. And yet... he appeared so cheerful and positive the few moments he spoke to us. In spite of what happened to him, it was amazing the way he radiated optimism.

And then there were people like me. Always finding faults in the smallest of things when I should be in fact grateful for...

"Well now, there you have it," I almost jumped at Sub Zero's voice, which was back to its normal tone.

"I see," I said quietly. "I understand now. Thank you for sharing this information with me. I promise you that I won't share it with anyone."

He nodded. "There is no reason that you should anyway."

It was then that I also realised the immense burden that Sub Zero bore on his shoulders everyday; from the death and betrayal of his brother, to Isen's "sacrifice", to my "recruitment" and finally to Frost's betrayal and ultimate death.

But I knew better.

These were only the tip of the iceberg.

"Alright Luna, I'll be going out for a bit," Sub Zero said. "Come and join me if you want."

"I'd love t- Grandmaster?"

The moment Sub Zero attempted to stand up, he lost his balance and landed heavily onto his side, releasing a pained grunt in the process.

"Grandmaster!" I cried, quickly running to his side.

"It's nothing," Sub Zero grunted feebly, trying to get up again.

"Enough," I said sternly, surprising myself a bit. Yikes! I just snapped at the Grandmaster!

Without hesitation, I placed a hand on Sub Zero's back, and instantly felt something wet and sticky.

"What the hell? You're bleeding!" I almost screamed. I was losing it!

"I said it's nothing Luna. Please take a few steps back," Sub Zero stubbornly insisted.

"God no!" Was I really losing it? "I need to see how bad it is. You need medical attention."

Probably not the best things to say to _a_ Sub Zero...

"Luna," there was a sharp edge to his tone now.

I groaned in annoyance. "Alright! At least let me see the wound. Please. Ok I'm sorry, I'm not going to tell anyone," I tried to persuade him. I knew that he was about to speak but I didn't give him the chance. "If you don't allow me to help, you'll be in a worse state tomorrow and it'd cause a massive problem to the mission!"

I – totally said it now!

Sub Zero sighed heavily. "I'll be fine Luna."

My face was on fire. "You could barely stand!" I gritted my teeth. I seriously was losing it. "I thought you said that you could trust me!"

The warrior stared at me. His eyes were slightly wide. "Of course, I trust you Luna."

"Then let me help you... allow me to help you as a _friend._"

A short silence followed when I said that. I could see that Sub Zero was carefully contemplating about it so while he was doing that, I quickly grabbed my backpack, dove my hand in it and searched.

"Grandmaster," I said, removing a small tub from the bag. "Look, I got some healing balm with me."

Sub Zero glanced at it briefly before struggling to turn around. He was trying to get up again, wasn't he? That's it!

"What's wrong with you? I'm only offering to help and all you're doing is thro-!"

"I'm going nowhere," he curtly interrupted.

"O-Oh right." If only I could face palm myself...

Well, he was still being stubborn! Look at him. Trying to roll over by himself.

Throwing caution out of the window, I grabbed him by the shoulders, completely ignoring the way he stiffened underneath my touch and gently, ever so carefully, helped him sit upright. And by God was he heavy.

But the worst part was-

"I'll handle this one," Sub Zero muttered, to the point that I could almost _feel _his discomfort.

I nodded vigorously and turned my head to face the other way, scrunching my eyes shut tight.

After some _careful_ fumbling later, I heard an almost restrained sigh. The worst part...

Holding onto the tub tightly, I slowly opened my eyes.

And was instantly tempted to shut them again.

To say that I was in for a shock would be an understatement.

What I witnessed in front of me downright _stunned _me_. _

Sub Zero wasn't only wounded on his back. The whole of his front was covered in stab wounds. The jagged lines that crisscrossed his flesh ranged from shallow to deep cuts, overlapping the many olden scars that already marked his battle worn physique. A purple discolouration was already kicking in. This might require more than a healing balm.

"I think it'd be best if you bathed the wounds first," I commented.

His eyes narrowed. "There isn't a shower here."

"Ah yes, I forgot," face palm moment number two...

"In that case, wait here," I said immediately, getting up and already heading to the door.

"Where are you going?" I could've sworn that I could hear slight worry in his voice.

"Going to find some water source," I said plainly. Whatever reply he might've uttered was quickly lost the moment the door creaked shut behind me.

#

It was only by chance that I found myself standing at a stream right now.

For a moment, I briefly forgot about the mission and simply admired the beauty before me. The birds tweeting and the faint sunlight that reflected from the rippling blue surface took me a few years back when I was still with my family. Sometimes when the weather was bright and sunny, we'd go to the beach together, or a garden with multiple streams or cascades similar to this one. I would constantly groan and moan with my sisters, plainly because we would hardly be able to stand each other's company. Might our reactions be different now, I wonder?

But now I was faced with a different dilemma.

Torn between dragging Sub Zero here and finding something to carry the water.

Ironic. Here I was, part of an amazingly awesome team to save the realms and what was my biggest fear at the moment?

Asking someone for help...

Dry leaves crunched softly behind me as somebody was fast approaching me.

Lo-

"Luna!"

-and behold.

"Hello Isen," I greeted, smiling at him.

"What brings you here?" he asked politely.

I should be cautious not to hint at Sub Zero's condition. "I need something to carry some of this water with me," I said. Ever since the conversation with Sub Zero, I found myself staring at the space where Isen's left arm should be. There was no solid bump to indicate that there was a limb behind that coat. If Isen was so determined for a need to disguise, and Sub Zero being aware of it, why was it that the Grandmaster decided to share this private information with me?

Isen frowned. "Ah yes of course, this is the perfect spot. In fact, you are not the only one who has to run on this little errand. The other people also come here to gather some water daily. I apologise for forgetting to mention this to you earlier."

"It's not a problem," I said. "If I may ask, might you have a bucket that I could use?"

"Yes. Yes! Again I apologise for failing to offer you a hand," he exclaimed, appearing embarrassed.

"No no no. I didn't even ask for help," I said quite calmly to my surprise. And to think that he was as powerful as the Grandmaster... They were clearly on the polar opposite ends of each other.

"If you would please wait here," he said (that seemed to be his favourite line). "I will fetch a bucket for you from my home."

"That would be lovely," I replied.

"I won't be long," he said before he jogged back in the direction of the huts.

As I waited – it was nearing evening now – I noticed two youngsters making their way towards me. A boy and a girl. Neither of them appeared to be above the age of ten. The closer they approached, the wider my smile became and I waved at them. The sight of children has always warmed my heart.

The children stared at me. "Are you the Grandmaster's partner?" the boy asked. He had short black hair and similar to the rest of the villagers, his clothes were heavily stained and torn.

I nodded. "Indeed I am. What are your names?"

The boy stood a little taller. "Tao." He placed a hand on the girl's head. "This is my sister, Mia."

An odd pang of sadness consumed my already heavy heart at that. How fortunate these children were to still have each other during this time of need. And at such tender ages too... It would be especially distressing if I ever learned that their parents weren't around anymore.

"What's your name?" Tao asked me.

He seemed well grounded too, I thought. "My name is Luna," I replied.

"Are you going to be the Grandmaster's wife?" Mia asked suddenly... _ever_ so naively.

Although stunned, I simply chuckled at her sweet innocence. But also at the incredulity of the idea. I supposed it was a million times more tolerant to hear those words from the lips of a child rather than those of an adult's. I shuddered at the thought.

"Mia, don't be rude," Tao scolded his sister, looking nervous.

"No no, it's alright," I reassured him and said to Mia. "It's nothing of the sort. I am merely his travel companion on a mission. That is all." I finished with a smile.

"Oh," she murmured simply. Not quite the answer she was looking for?

I was so tempted to ask for the whereabouts of their parents but I knew better. This was obviously an extremely sensitive subject. But what _could_ I say to them?

"One day I want to be as strong as the Grandmaster," said Tao all of a sudden.

"And you will," the words flew out of my mouth without even thinking.

Tao looked at me, surprise etched on his face. "How do you know?"

I didn't. "Well... I believe that if you are determined enough, you will make it," I said, but I knew that it wasn't enough for he was still staring at me, as if he was hungry to hear more. Unfortunately, I wasn't the best at encouraging speeches.

"Um I suppose... I suppose that strength doesn't always have to be about how physically active you are," I began hesitantly.

"It doesn't?" he asked curiously.

I shook my head. "The strength of your conscious is far more important than your physical strength. If you are mentally able to endure pain, very intellectual and have the ability to use your wits rather than mere reliance on brawns, you are already quite powerful enough in your own right."

Tao was staring wide eyed at me. Finally after a pause he asked, "Like right now?"

I knew what he meant. "Absolutely," I said truthfully.

Mia cocked her head at me. I said to her, "You are too." And her eyes shone brightly and she smiled widely. Wow, they really did seem like they hadn't smiled in ages.

"I hope that my children aren't giving you a headache," said a familiar voice.

My mouth parted with surprise. Isen was standing behind the youngsters, bucket in hand and he was smiling amusedly.

"No, absolutely not," I replied. "I was just thinking how lovely they are." _And lucky_, I wanted to add.

"Thank you," the man said, ruffling his children's hair, his eyes full of affection.

_Very _lucky, I thought at last. To have a kind and loving dad like Isen, what more could they ask for?

"I'll fill this up for you."

I started. "Oh no, it's fine, I can do it myself," I took the bucket from his hands. "Thank you for your help and offer."

"Can't I at least carry it for you?" he insisted.

Maybe they aren't exactly on the opposite ends of each other. They seemed as stubborn as each other. "Don't worry," I laughed. "Honestly, I'll be fine."

He sighed. "Alright then. Do come back again if ever you need my assistance. My house is just where you and the Grandmaster were waiting for me."

The one which also belonged to Rao? "Thank you. I will," I said. But I'd rather not risk meeting her again... at least not without Sub Zero.

Finally, after cheerily waving goodbye at the youngsters, I made my way back to our own temporary little house with the bucket full of water. I could only hope that Sub Zero didn't leave the residence or worst, me bumping into Rao. As soon as those thoughts entered my head, I unconsciously quickened my pace. I also hoped that his injuries didn't somehow worsen...

Three women were standing under a tree in front of me. One of them seemed to be a few years younger than me whilst the others appeared to be in their early thirties. I realised that they had been surveying me since the moment I left the hut. Slowly, yet as if by reflex, they started to make their way towards me; one of them was carrying a basket. I acknowledged their presence by slowing down, however I was wary, especially after the Rao incident.

Stopping in front of me, neither of them said a word, as if they were hesitant. Unknowing of what to do, I gave a small bow to them and bade them a good evening. That seemed to give them minute confidence as the youngest woman presented me with the basket. "For the Grandmaster," she said quietly.

"Thank you," I said, taking the item from them.

"Tell him that it came from Lila, Yuko and Sierra."

"I will most definitely," I assured them.

Arriving at the hut, I placed the heavy bucket down and opened the door, fearing the worst…

"Grandmaster?" I called hesitantly.

"I'm here," came the low reply from the inner room. I released a relieved sigh.

I carried the bucket and basket into the room where he was. He was sitting with his legs crossed on his sleeping mat. I knelt beside him.

"What is this?" he asked, pointing at the basket.

"A gift for you," I said. "They came from… I think their names were Yuko, Lila and... um... Sienna was it?" I muttered the last bit to myself.

"Sierra," he corrected.

"Yes, her!" I agreed. "I take it that you know her?"

He nodded slowly, as if recovering from a mild shock. "She was the one whom I protected from the Tarkatan blades."

I didn't respond to that. I shouldn't be shocked anymore. Instead, I removed the flimsy cloth that covered the contents. Instantly, my eyes almost welled up with tears.

"That's nice," Sub Zero said very quietly.

A small loaf of bread, two apples and a bunch of grapes.

I bit my lips and my gaze was downcast. I had no words to express anything… In fact, neither of us seemed to want to say anything at the moment.

"Let's," thus I began softly, "Let's tend to your wounds," I finally said.

I dipped the cloth into the bucket and squeezed out the excess water without once looking at the man beside me. He didn't even object or move a muscle when I dabbed his back with the cool cloth. I was strongly convinced that he would have vehemently disapproved of my action and wouldn't have hesitated to say so. I mean, this was the _Grandmaster _after all. But I do wonder if he even forgets that he was of that status sometimes.

It also occurred to me that it had not once crossed my mind that Sub Zero could have been suffering physically after the fight with Frost. Somehow, I thought that being the powerful warrior he was, he couldn't possibly sustain such deep injuries and remain so calm about it… for _two days. _But he has… And when I was throwing my tantrum yesterday, all he did was show concern towards me, and even attempted to comfort me. But all this time, he was concealing his own pain…

"Am I pressing too hard?" I asked him, stilling my hand for a moment.

"No," he replied simply.

I paused. "Let me know if I'm hurting you," I said.

Another pause. "It hurts already," he said unexpectedly.

"What? Then you should've said so!" I exclaimed.

"It's bearable," he said in his usual nonchalant tone, driving me acorns!

"Are you sure?" I demanded. What else could I do?

"I'm fine," what a cretin…

"Seriously, why am I even bothering?!"

Facepalm to the extreme.

If only I could take back what I said…

Sub Zero only slightly cocked his head in my direction. "You never had to," he said, as if that didn't affect him. "You should stop now." He started to get up (tried to).

"No don't!" I yelped, quickly grabbing his shoulder. Oh God the guilt _hurts_! "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it! I tend to say things I don't mean to sometimes," I said pathetically, weakly defending myself.

Sub Zero obliged. He sat still again. "It's not a good habit."

That stung. "I know… I regret it."

I resumed with dabbing his back, frequently washing the cloth to get rid of the occasional dead skins and blood when suddenly, I felt anger brewing inside me – or was it annoyance, unfortunately I did not quite know. Because the more I patted his skin with the thin cloth, the more inflamed my face became.

It was that same itchy, prickly sensation as before when he had donned the new armour. This time however, the effect was much stronger. The hard planes of his back muscles were real… totally unlike those of Bob the Bum. After washing the cloth for the umpteenth time, I briefly hesitated to carry on.

I didn't want to use the cloth…

I scrunched the fabric in my hands so hard and gritted my teeth till my jaws hurt. What in the world was I-?

"Are you alright?" Sub Zero asked when he noticed the brief pause.

"Y-Yes, I'm fine, sorry," I stuttered the lie. "I've done your back."

"Ah, thank you. Could-?"

"Could you do your chest and stomach?" I interrupted.

"I was going to ask that," he said, sounding a bit confused. Can't blame him…

I was about to push the bucket towards him when I remembered that the water is now filthy. "Hold on, I'm going to get you some clean water."

"Alright," he said. "Thank you."

"You don't have to keep thanking me," I muttered, taking the bucket with me.

Once outside, I splashed the water in the earth behind the hut. Filling the bucket with fresh water from the stream, I made my way back to the hut. However, I hesitated to enter it. I pressed my head against the wall and closed my eyes. Whatever was happening, I thought determinedly, I needed to pull myself together. I didn't know what was going on, or why I was feeling this way, but I really needed to focus. Focus now!

Inside, after providing the bucket to the warrior, I knelt down behind him again.

Ah…

It's time to apply the healing balm now. Sub Zero was already wetting the cloth and applying it to his torso. I almost groaned when I realised something important a little too late.

There was no spare cloth this time…

* * *

><p><strong>CLIFFHANGAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!<strong>

**CLIFFHANGAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!**

**CLIFFHANGAAARRRRRGGGGGGHHHHH!**

**IT BEGINS! IT BEGINS!**


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